American Society of Safety Professionals Foundation

Who We Are
The ASSP Foundation is committed to a safer future for workers. We advance occupational safety and health, we promote Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) as a career choice, and we help build a sustainable talent pipeline for the profession.

What We Do
We position the OSH profession as a desirable career choice and help to build the skills and leadership of current OSH professionals. We provide career guidance, educational opportunities, and leadership development to attract new individuals to the profession, as well as enhance the knowledge and skills of current safety professionals. We leverage and support applied scientific research and collect data to develop and inform strategy and to position the OSH profession towards best-in-class standards.

Why It Matters
Occupational safety and health professionals create safe working environments by preventing workplace fatalities, injuries and illnesses across all industries. For many, the primary source of professional development and knowledge enhancement is through networking and training provided at the company or community level. New tools and delivery strategies are required to reach and engage both current and new generations of learners and workers. With the support of ASSP’s membership base, the ASSP Foundation is uniquely positioned to serve in this capacity.

Workplace safety begins with individuals who want to keep others free from harm, and who want to save lives. We provide every opportunity possible to help those individuals accomplish their goals.

VALUE STATEMENTS
Recruitment
The ASSP Foundation recognizes the need to expand its outreach beyond traditional four-year institutions and traditional occupational safety and health degree programs to meet the growing need for skilled workers in OSH. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health as documented in their report, National Assessment of the Occupational Safety and Health Workforce, future national demand for occupational safety and health services will significantly outstrip the number of professionals with the necessary training, education, and experience to provide such services. The profession must begin to tap non-traditional sources of potential talent, including young adults, women, veterans and career changers, especially as the number of retirements increases over the next decade.

Career Guidance
The ASSP Foundation is the preferred source of information and resources regarding career guidance and pathways for OSH professions. Relative to content, learning and knowledge, the ASSP Foundation is committed to disseminating valid and relevant information about the profession through nontraditional, engaging delivery channels. The goal is to position occupational safety and health professions as desirable career choices to a wider audience.

Educational Opportunities
The ASSP Foundation invests in the skill and capacity building of current and future OSH professionals through valuable training, conferences, networking, and technology-based learning opportunities. The Foundation enhances access to learning and experience that allow prospective and new practitioners to gain foundational skills needed for lifelong career success.

Leadership Development
The ASSP Foundation is dedicated to developing current and future leaders within the profession by enhancing training and leadership opportunities. A primary focus of effort is the development and promotion of new tools and delivery strategies designed to engage a wide variety of learners.

With a core base of 36,000+ ASSP members, the ASSP Foundation is already partnered with a great number of individuals who work to advance safety for workers. A significant portion of ASSP's membership contributes to the ASSP Foundation's mission each year. Additionally, we are partnered with several large, high-profile, and incredibly generous companies that allow us to take huge steps toward our goals. The ASSP Foundation's Board of Trustees represent a vast array of expertise and years of experience at its disposal, and leverage their strengths to guide the ASSP Foundation successfully. ASSP is also a highly influential and respected professional organization that has ties in government and countries around the world.

In the 25 years since the ASSP Foundation's inception we have grown significantly. The Scholarship and Grant Program now offers over nearly 150 awards, totaling nearly $400,000 for the 2017-2018 school year. The ASSP Foundation Research Program has also grown to the point where it is now funding projects up to $300,000. With record numbers of beneficiaries in each of our programs, the ASSP Foundation's ability to make a difference in the profession is easily apparent and we look forward to expanding the reach of our programs even more in the future.