OBAP Receives $375,000 Grant from The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

 The Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP) recently received a grant in the amount of $375,000 from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation for the 2022 fiscal year. This grant is one of the largest single-year gifts the organization has received.

“These funds will go a long way to support the execution and advancement of our programs,” said Board Chairman Joel Webley. “We’re proud to partner with the Hilton Foundation to further our mission. We look forward to utilizing these resources to bolster our youth-serving activities and expanding the professional development opportunities for our members,” Webley said.

The grant from the Hilton Foundation will support OBAP initiatives during the 2022 fiscal year. 

Programs include OBAP’s Project Aerospace suite of youth programs and the Luke Weathers Flight Academy, OBAP’s nonprofit flight school. It will also allow the organization to explore the launch of a long-term research study to understand the efficacy of OBAP’s programmatic model.

“Studies show that by 2029, the aviation industry will have a shortage of 60,000 pilots. In addition, underrepresented populations are statistically not participating in aerospace careers, particularly in engineering and the aircraft pilot workforce,” said Webley. “Our goal is to understand how best to address these gaps and provide programming that will lead to a more diverse aerospace workforce in the future.”