American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation

**Our Work** Communication is connection. Our ability to communicate and connect with each other is key to our success and happiness. But **one in six Americans has a speech, language, or hearing disorder** that can keep them from reaching their full potential in school, work, and life. That’s 50 million people with conditions that can make human interaction a struggle to connect and convey ideas. Their everyday life can be very frustrating—and we all miss out on their potential contributions. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation (ASHFoundation) **supports innovators and sparks innovation** in the field of communication sciences and disorders. We provide resources for passionate and promising investigators exploring forward-thinking solutions and conducting groundbreaking research. Human communication is complicated. Physical, neurological, psychological, and social factors all affect our ability to connect with others. Professionals in this field—including audiologists and speech-language pathologists—need new knowledge, tools, and techniques to help people tackle their challenges. Our programs are early investments in ingenuity, empowering innovators to chart new paths and equipping them to attract new resources. We achieve this through grants, scholarships, achievement awards, and special programs. **Our Journey** The ASHFoundation was officially founded in 1946 by Wendell Johnson as the Speech Correction Research Foundation; we awarded our first research grant of $75 to Dr. William Love. After a few decades of limited activity and a few name changes, the ASHFoundation was revitalized under the leadership of Frank R. Kleffner, who served on the board from 1981–1988, and other leaders. During his tenure, Kleffner oversaw the creation of our formal giving programs, as well as awards and special project programs. In 1989, with net assets at $228,000, we hired our first executive director. Our first capital campaign—Dreams and Possibilities, launched in 1999—would yield $2 million by 2005. Today, the ASHFoundation’s assets are $17.8 million. Since our inception, we have awarded over $12.8 million to more than 2,500 doctoral and post-doctoral researchers, graduate students, and leaders in the field.