About The Foundation of IAAP
The Foundation of the International Association of Administrative Professionals is an independent 501(c)3 charitable organization based in Kansas City, Mo., that supports career education, research and training for office professionals, in addition to housing assistance for those age 55 or older.
IAAP's two former non-profits, The Retirement Trust Foundation and the Research and Educational Foundation, merged in 2012 to form The Foundation of IAAP.
The RTF began in 1947, just five years after the launch of IAAP, as a way to help administrative professionals with their housing needs after they retired. In the early 1970s, the RTF's work culminated in the founding of Vista Grande, a retirement community in Rio Rancho, N.M. The RTF also started a program to provide housing assistant subsidies for qualified applicants age 55 or older.
The R&E was established in the late 1960s when IAAP leaders and members decided they needed an organization dedicated to tracking changes within the administrative profession and helping admins stay relevant in their careers through professional development. The R&E Foundation has raised nearly $500,000 since its inception in 1966. Over the next 46 years, the foundation helped thousands of administrative professionals by using those funds for three major programs: Research and benchmark studies on responsibilities, skills, compensation, best practices and ethics within the administrative profession; grants for educational events; and validating IAAP's professional certification exams. In 2011, the R&E started a scholarship program to help office professionals attend IAAP's Education Forum and Annual Meeting.
The Foundation of IAAP has now taken over and combined the missions of both the RTF and R&E. The Foundation will offer education, research and training to the administrative professional community, in addition to community based initiatives inclusive of the retirement housing at Vista Grande. Through the donations of IAAP members and other stakeholders in IAAP, such as our valued corporate partners, The Foundation will continue to support admins now and into the future.