Every periodontist benefits from the Foundation's mission. Your donation supports innovative research and educational initiatives.
A gift to the AAP Foundation is an opportunity to ensure that periodontology continues to attract the best and brightest! Please support the Foundation for the Future today!
These practitioners share a bond. A grant from the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation helped each of them to continue doing the work they love.
You may not have received financial support, but you are the beneficiary of something equally valuable. For over 34 years, the Foundation has been strengthening the resources that make periodontology great.
The Foundation’s unwavering commitment to excellence ensures that the public recognizes periodontists as the trusted experts in this field. We don’t just support a few individuals, the Foundation delivers value that increases each year to every specialist.
Whether you are a practitioner, a scientist, or an educator, you benefit from a vibrant community of knowledge. Support for research and education keeps periodontology at the front of a healthcare environment that is changing more rapidly than any of us could have imagined just several years ago.
As stewards of your research and educational future, the Foundation is committed to these significant responsibilities—
We are excited to launch an ambitious new initiative. The AAPF Campaign seeks to raise $5 million. The goal is to position periodontology to seize opportunities, to preserve our standing at the cutting-edge of dentistry, and to ensure that tomorrow’s periodontists have even more reasons to be proud of their heritage than today’s.
Many practitioners have eagerly contributed to our support. They gave out of gratitude for the spiritual and material wealth that this community of excellence provides. You play an important role in our success. If you have never given, now is the time to join the family. If you have already contributed, consider reaffirming your support.
Our future is in our own hands. If we want industry or other partners to join our campaign, we must step up to the plate first.
There is an incredible wealth of expertise and care in this community. Let’s translate that enthusiasm into dollars for research, education, and your own future. You and your patients will reap the benefits. There aren’t many ways to give that offer such a significant return on your investment.
“The Foundation has been a part of my career since graduation. When there were only two awards, they invested in me. As part of the Kramer Family, I learned that I was expected to positively impact our profession and give back when it was my turn. It’s been great to see the expansion of the Foundation’s portfolio and the significant impact on periodontal education.”
The American Academy of Periodontology Foundation is the philanthropic partner of the American Academy of Periodontology. The two organizations are opposite sides of a coin. Each group plays a unique part in keeping the specialty strong.
The Academy, which was founded in 1914, represents 7,500 members. It provides advocacy and education that advances clinical practice and promotes quality patient care.
The Foundation strengthens the educational and scientific base which supports periodontists and their practices. It invests in the specialty’s most precious resource—its human capital. A portfolio of grants, with funding available for educators and scientists throughout their careers, ensures that the talent needed to transform the future will always be available.
These principles inform our decision-making and guide our activities:
The American Academy of Periodontology Foundation is the premier philanthropic entity ensuring the viability and sustainability of the specialty of periodontics and dental implant surgery.
The American Academy of Periodontology Foundation serves to advance the specialty of periodontology and dental implant surgery through advocacy, research, and education.
Guiding Lights
Your AAP Foundation:
“I teach part-time in San Antonio. Many of my residents have received awards. My colleagues on the faculty have also been recognized with funding both for education and research. So, I have seen how these grants enhance our specialty. This support ensures that education and research remain high quality. That’s why I’m passionate about the Foundation. I’m excited about the future accomplishments that are going to make our specialty fabulous forever.”
“The American Academy of Periodontology Foundation is a critical component to the field of periodontics. Not only am I passionate about the work of the Foundation, I feel it is my duty to support this organization through both volunteer time and charitable giving. Like many of my colleagues, I will never be able to express my gratitude for all that periodontics has given me. Giving to the AAPF feels great, and I know it goes toward our profession’s long-term success.”
The Foundation for Education: Inspire New and Accomplished Educators
Foundation support was pivotal in helping Dr. Mason to focus on the most fulfilling aspects of his career. His award allowed him to work on educational platforms at the University of North Carolina without the added pressure to generate additional income through faculty practice.
More than other areas of dentistry, periodontics is grounded in biology and science. There is no shortage of clinicians with a passion for learning like Dr. Mason. However, enabling potential academic leaders to pursue a career in education is an ongoing challenge. The income disparity between teaching and clinical practice creates a significant barrier to recruiting and retaining faculty. Foundation grants bridge this gap and allow more brilliant minds to discover their intellectual home.
The Foundation exists to ensure that residents and dental students will have trusted advisors who embody impeccable ethics and perpetuate clinical excellence. Our grants support and encourage:
The Foundation for Research: Support Scientific Innovators
Without a scientist’s commitment to evidence, clinical practice rests on a house of cards. The Foundation’s responsibility is to keep periodontology grounded in scientific truth and to expand the specialty’s ability to translate research into exceptional patient care.
As technology drives science at an explosive pace, it becomes increasingly challenging to foresee future disruptions or opportunities for innovation. Researchers, whose eyes are trained on the horizon, are imperative to stay ahead of the marketplace.
Foundation grants to emerging and mature scientists ensure that periodontology grows that pipeline of discovery. We are proud to support dedicated scientists who are putting periodontology at the center of the most exciting discoveries in oral health. Foundation grants advance promising careers by:
“Innovation and discovery are so important, especially early in your career. That curiosity could change the profession 20 or 30 years down the road. The Foundation’s awards inspire and validate the efforts of younger faculty members. They provide the freedom to focus on the path less traveled and experiment with new initiatives.”
“As a researcher, your ideas are your babies. You are constantly working to help them develop and grow. Finding a good incubator for your project is the greatest challenge. You might have an interesting question with outstanding clinical application, but without that incubation, your idea can’t be realized. The Richman Award is a great scientific incubator. Receiving funding for the application we submitted helped us to send the baby to a good school.”
We have a tradition of successful fundraising. Over the years, our giving has expanded. In 2022, $301,000 was awarded to research and education and $64,000 was contributed to programs of the American Academy of Periodontology and the American Board of Periodontology.
Our inaugural campaign in 1990 was 34 years ago. We’ve reached a point in our development that calls for reinvigorating our resources.
Much of the income from contributions is designated to support special awards. It’s wonderful that our donors embrace these unique initiatives. On the other hand, those restrictions mean that our reserves grow more slowly. In addition, about $130,000 in impactful grant opportunities like the ones listed below are contingent on annual support:
We want our robust philanthropic agenda to continue in perpetuity. To ensure that future longevity requires extra effort in the moment. Our goal is to match or exceed the initial $5 million we raised at the Foundation’s inception.
Invest in Your Foundation
While every gift is welcome and appreciated, the following are the suggested levels
of generosity that will help the Foundation to achieve its goals most efficiently.
“Periodontists change lives, and the education of a life-changing specialist starts with great training. We are the scientific surgeons of the mouth, with a deep understanding of biological principles of disease and destruction, as well as restoration and regeneration. Our profession supports oral health, systemic health, and even mental health. The AAP Foundation’s campaign will keep that legacy strong, so that periodontics continues to attract the best and brightest dental health professionals.”
“Thank you for helping to fuel this passion for excellence that exists in periodontology. It is a powerful force that will lead us to boundless discovery and positive outcomes. Your generosity — each dollar you contribute — is utilized for impact. Whether it is ensuring we have talented educators in place, disseminating knowledge for use in our practices, cultivating new leaders, or answering the most important questions of the day, your generosity is making lives better. We couldn’t do it without you.”
Every award on the list below has impacted many lives. For each outstanding teacher the Foundation supports, countless students reap the benefits, and for each graduate who developed skills and values due to a concerned mentor, hundreds of patients receive better care.
Recognizes a resident who exemplifies leadership qualities.
Awarded to accredited U.S. periodontal programs to offset honoraria, travel, promotion, and seminars by speakers in periodontology.
To cover full tuition for the Institute program for dental faculty.
To a young faculty member.
To third-year full-time periodontal students.
To third-year full-time periodontal students (sponsored by Carestream).
For young educators to provide debt relief.
To residents intending to pursue a full-time career in education.
To full-time periodontal educators who have been teaching between 1-5 full-time academic years at U.S. programs. Nevins BioHorizons Fellowship sponsored by BioHorizons
*These grants require annual support.
To a periodontic or orthodontic resident.
Recognizes excellence in original research by a resident in the specialty of periodontics that advances clinical therapies in periodontal regeneration.
To a predoctoral student or students in a dental school with a periodontal faculty or resident member as a mentor/principal investigator.
To full-time residents in an accredited US periodontal program in any year of residency.
“There is a whole new world coming out of AI. It’s going to give us the ability to create better access and more affordable care. We’re going to be able to predict outcomes like never before. And perio is getting new attention from major funders because of the good we can do if we are on the forefront of these developments.”
We fund research to keep periodontology at the cutting edge of scientific dentistry. Read more...
We ensure the future of periodontology by strengthening future generations. Read more...
The Visionary Society was launched in 2000 to encourage the gift of future assets. Read more...
Congratulations to Fatemeh “Flora” Momen-Heravi, DDS, PhD, (2017 Educator Scholar, 2018 Dr. D. Walter Cohen Teaching Award Recipient) assistant professor of dental medicine at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, who was named the 2020 recipient of the American Association for Dental Research (AADR) Anne D. Haffajee Fellowship. The award provides early-career women researchers in the field of oral biology with financial support for training and research activities that will advance their academic careers. Read more here.