ASDP Charitable Foundation

About the ASDP Charitable Foundation

The Foundation was created by ASDP leaders in 2015 to support educational and charitable activities related to the sewing and design profession. We are grateful for the extraordinary efforts of those ASDP members who worked together to obtain the Foundation’s 501(c)(3) charitable status.

The Foundation’s initial funding came from approximately $3,000 that remained in the original Professional Association of Custom Clothiers (PACC) Scholarship Fund. We hope to raise enough principal over the next several years to make significant grants to deserving projects. In the meantime, the Foundation will provide small grants to projects that meet the criteria described our mission. Additional funds have come from individual donors, the proceeds of ASDP Annual Conference activities including a popular book auction, local ASDP Chapters, and support of corporate sponsors.

The Foundation’s status as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization means that donations to the Foundation are tax deductible to the extent provided by law. Likewise, the Foundation’s grants are also governed by federal tax law and are limited to charitable purposes related to our mission.

In the past several years, the ASDP Charitable Foundation has granted more than $10,000 to worthy projects: the Sewing Machine Project—a Wisconsin based charity that provides sewing machines for disadvantaged women in the US and around the world to enable them to build sustainable sources of income; ASDP educational videos available online to ASDP members in lieu of conference programs (Member access Eye of the Needle); support for ASDP student challenge contestants, and to a Maryland charity—Lifting Labels—which provides support for formerly incarcerated individuals to pursue sewing related careers.

In 2023 year end giving focus was a partnership between ASDP's charitable arm and the Apprenticeship Program. The Foundation has donated $3000 to establish a sustainable fund to encourage and support sewing professionals who sponsor an apprentice through the new program ASDP has developed with the US Department of Labor.