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About the AMA Foundation

As the philanthropic arm of the AMA, the American Marketing Association Foundation (AMAF) seeks to elevate marketing visionaries, empower future generations, inspire a more diverse industry and ensure marketing research impacts public good.

Gifts to the AMAF go towards awards that honor influential, revolutionary and transformative marketers and their work. Watch this video to learn more!


Creating a More Diverse Academic Community Starts With Your Application!

Help promote diversity in the Academic Community by applying for the following upcoming opportunities:

  • Valuing Diversity PhD Scholarship seeks to widen the opportunities for underrepresented populations to attend marketing doctoral programs.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
  • Williams-Qualls-Spratlen (WQS) Multicultural Mentoring Award of Excellence recognizes world-class marketing scholars and mentors of color while carrying on the legacy of the late Jerome Williams, Bill Qualls and Thaddeus Spratlen.

Learn more about these opportunities and submit your application today!


History of AMA Foundation

The AMAF was established by the action of the AMA Board of Directors in June 1992. The Foundation was established for future restricted contributions as well as to encourage marketing women and men to contribute their time, talents, experience and other resources to foster the use of good marketing practices to benefit the larger society in addition to the organizations for which they are working, or had worked.

The first monetary pledge to the Foundation was made by Trustee Sheth’s Foundation in the form of a contribution to an endowment fund from which the earnings were to be used for the AMA’s Doctoral Dissertation Awards (since renamed as the John A. Howard/ AMA Doctoral Dissertation Awards).

The first cash contribution was donated by the AMA Knoxville Chapter, which was a leader in the effort to assist in the transition to free-marketing economics in Eastern Europe.

Please contact foundation@ama.org with any questions.

Robert “Bob” Lavidge
Founder of the AMA Foundation


AMA Foundation Board of Advisors

The AMAF Board of Advisors has equal representation from the academic and practitioner fields as we strive to serve the unique philanthropic goals of both groups.