The Advertising Production Club of New York

A scholarship fund had been the unattainable dream of the Club for many years because of the difficulty of raising the necessary monies. However, in 1957, with the celebration of the Club’s 25th anniversary, we felt we could take our first step, which was the choice of an institution to be the beneficiary of our grant. The major criteria in selecting the institution were that its program be attuned to mechanical production philosophy and teaching, and meet similar aims and objectives of the Club.

In 1957, the Scholarship Committee of the AAPC visited the New York City Community College in Brooklyn. As a Community College, it is financed by New York City. The college is now under the ad- ministration of the Board of Higher Education of the City of New York and one of the colleges within the City University of New York.

In consultation with college officials, the committee and faculty worked out procedures governing awards to be issued on a semester basis. The Advertising Agency Production Club of New York Scholarship Grant-in-Aid Fund was set up for the express purpose of financially aiding full-time matriculated students of professional promise and scholastic ability. The funds are granted to fill the gap between the student’s personal resources and the sum of his estimated necessary educational expenses.

Awards are made each semester only to those students who are enrolled on a full-time basis in the advertising production management program of the Department of Graphic Arts and Advertising Technology. Recipients are selected by a faculty committee in whose judgment the student has met scholastic achievement, good character, and fitness for service in mechanical production, and whose continuing education can only be made possible by this grant.

How did we establish this fund? Where did we get the money? In June of 1957, the AAPC celebrated its 25th anniversary with an elaborate Installation Dinner-Dance at which time a 144-page Souvenir Journal was published. This netted an amount sufficient to establish the Endowed Scholarship Fund with a $10,000 contribution. This money was given to the college in November 1957 under the direction of Dr. George Martin Halpern.

In June 1959, it seemed we finally got our scholarship fund moving and off the ground. Our member- ship came up with the idea to publish an annual “Membership Roster and Buyer’s Guide”. The purpose was to provide our membership and others in the graphic arts field with a guide to the best sources of supply and at the same time give the graphic arts firms the names, addresses and telephone numbers of our own members, who were among the largest buyers in the industry.

Because our own firms would be the ultimate gainers of the scholarship program, we felt than an appeal to agency presidents, with a letter describing our purposes and aims, would find a receptive audience. Monies were raised by selling single line listings in various graphic arts categories for a very nominal fee. Thus $10,000 was realized through this first project.

In 1961 Professor James P. De Luca was appointed to be the liaison to the club from the college, as a non-voting member of the board.

In 1978 the name was change to Advertising Production Club of New York (APC) – word Agency dropped.

Earlier in this period extensive efforts were made to increase the Scholarship Endowment Fund via extraordinary efforts to solicit donations as well as include a budget item in the general operating budget specifically for scholarship awards. This inclusion of having an annual line budget amount of $3,000 –$4,000 provided the scholarship awards program to continue

This was possible thru the program of having a line budget item for scholarship awards and at the same time contributions went into the Endowment Fund plus the interest was not used for making awards and allowed to remain and grow the principle.

Over the period of Twenty years this combination of solicitation has proven successful with the Endowment Fund increased to approximately $67,000. Although this was a significant gain, it is still not enough to make the Scholarship Fund self sustaining by using only the interest. The target amount is $100,000 of additional money to generate enough interest to maintain the scholarship awards programs.

In the mid 1980’s, each year, additional money was allocated to accommodate the increase of student application for scholarships. This was through annual increments until it reach its present amount in the budget of $6,000

In 2004-05 An application was made presenting the Fund as a separate Non-Profit organization, (as per advice of counsel), to the New York State and the Internal Revenue Service resulting in a successful approval. Specifically a Tax-Exempt Charitable Education Fund with the classification of a 501-c-3 Non-Profit Fund. This provides the APC Scholarship Fund to offer contributors and benefactors the opportunity to make contributions to the Fund with the advantage of full tax deductible donation.

Presently, there is an ongoing major fund appeal drive to increase the Endowed Fund sufficiently to make it self sustaining, thus relieving the burden of the APC of including $6,000 in the general operating budget. The target goal remains at $100,000.

It is noteworthy to indicate that the Advertising Production Club of New York, since 1957, has continuously provided scholarship awards without missing a year — a marvelous feat for 50 plus years.

 Folder: APCSF History –File: History Scholarship Program 1931-2011