Baw,
I can certainly point you at places which provide a good starting
point for researching this organization.
> What is its funding?
> Where does its money come from?
According to [ http://www.hallwatch.org/councilnotices/email/1047682272742
], the Philadelphia City Council passed Bill No. 030148 on March 13th,
2003 which approved "Authorizing transfers in appropriations for
Fiscal Year 2003 from the General Fund, certain or all City offices,
departments, boards and commissions to the General Fund Council --
Contributions, Indemnities and Taxes -- American Foundation for Negro
Affairs" in the amount of $1,000,000.
The FY03 Omnibus Appropriations bill approved by the U.S. Congress
included "$650,000 to the American Foundation for Negro Affairs (AFNA)
National Education and Research Fund in Philadelphia, to provide
supplementary education for minority students in grades 7 through 12
to raise their levels of achievement and to foster the goals of
increasing minority access to higher education in medicine, law and
engineering." according to [
http://www.statepulse.com/Pennsylvania/2003/02.14.03.santorum.pr7.asp
].
It is very likely that AFNA has other funding sources as well, but
this was what I could determine with a short search.
> Who are its officers?
On October 2, 2002, The Philadelphia Inquirer published an article, [
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/columnists/acel_moore/4192143.htm
] which attributed a quote to Sam Evans, and described him as the head
of AFNA. The quote is "Among the few men still alive who were peers
and contemporaries of Annenberg is Sam Evans, a longtime political and
civic leader in the city. Evans, who heads the American Foundation for
Negro Affairs, will celebrate his 100 birthday this year. I spoke to
him by telephone at his AFNA office in Center City."
I've gone through about 30 sources which mention the organization, and
the only person ever mentioned is Samuel Evans.
> What are its projects?
The AFNA has sponsored "Academic summer classes for 500 students" at
Temple University. (From [
http://www.temple.edu/news_media/bf1165.html ])
Certain employers list AFNA and Samuel Evans as a "Name of
Organization Notified of Job Vacancy," so I can guess that the AFNA
provides information and/or assistance with job searches. Some
examples are here:
[ http://www.94wysp.com/eeo_public_file_report.html ]
[ http://www.kywonline.com/downloads/eeo/EEO.pdf ]
The website of the National Basketball Association lists Evans and the
AFNA as a recipient of a community service award, and has this to say
about him and his organization at [
http://www.nba.com/sixers/community/03bhm_casa.html ]:
"Having just celebrated his 100th birthday in November 2002, Evans is
without question one of Philadelphia and America’s greatest living
legends. Known by many as “The Icon and Godfather in National and
International Affairs,” Evans was appointed in 1940 by President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt as the Coordinator of the U.S. Division of
Physical Fitness to aid in the war efforts against Adolph Hitler. He
was later selected along with 17 of the nation’s leading world
authorities in Physics, Anthropology and Science to the Humanities to
serve as a member of Columbia University’s World Tour. As an author,
Evans wrote “Nothing To Fear,” a book about J. Robert Oppenheimer, who
created the Atomic Bomb. Evans befriended and defended Oppenheimer
against the attacks of Senator Joseph McCarthy.
Evans founded the world renowned Philadelphia Coffee Concerts and the
International Chamber of Orchestra Society. For 35 years, he produced
Chamber Symphony Orchestras and hosted Classical artists from all over
the world. During President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “War on Poverty,”
Evans was appointed Czar of Philadelphia and was responsible for over
$350 million coming to the city, some of which went to establish the
“Head Start” and “Get Set” programs. By 1970, he was appointed by the
President of the United States, Governor of Pennsylvania, and Mayor of
Philadelphia to organize the nation’s 200th Anniversary Celebration. A
year later, after researching the academic deficiencies still plaguing
inner city and minority students, Evans founded the American
Foundation for Negro Affairs, which is now known as the American
Foundation for Nationality Affairs (AFNA). The AFNA National Education
and Research Fund has assisted over 20,000 students gain entry and
ultimately graduate from hundreds of colleges, universities, medical
and law schools. Through Evans’ vision, AFNA has produced over 750
medical physicians, 550 lawyers, 96 PhD’s, and 4,900 college
graduates."
The contact information for the organization is:
American Foundation For Negro Affairs
117 S 17th Street, Suite 1200
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 854-1470
Search Strategy:
[ ://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&as_qdr=all&q=+%22American+Foundation+for+Negro+Affairs%22&spell=1
]
Google Search: "American Foundation for Negro Affairs"
I hope this helps further your research! Please ask for clarification
if needed.
/ephraim |
