The CAFE Foundation is a small, all volunteer, and remarkably effective group based at the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, California. Consider that the Foundation Board members, eight strong, planned and executed all aspects of the fourth annual Electric Aircraft Symposium. This world-class gathering was the product of tight organization, shared goals, and truly remarkable, dedicated people.
The CAFE Foundation Board, eight strong
CAFE Foundation has also documented the performance and flying characteristics of over 25 popular light aircraft, providing scientifically accurate verification or rejection of the sometimes extravagant claims of builders and manufacturers. They have created scientific instruments and techniques that have enhanced the collection of accurate data. Hard work and honesty has provided a touchstone for the evaluation of modern light aircraft and earned the Foundation a reputation for reliability and credibility.
CAFE’s reputation has led to its being chosen to be an Allied Organization with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to manage the Green Flight Challenge. The GFC is part of NASA’s Centennial Challenges, “a program of incentive prizes to generate novel solutions to problems of interest to NASA and the nation.” The GFC is a major event in itself, one of several such challenges being presented by NASA.
As NASA explains, “Allied Organizations are those NASA partners that conduct the Centennial Challenges competitions. NASA provides the prize purse for the competitions, but no funding for the conduct of the competition itself. Allied Organizations may provide additional funding from other sources subject to NASA’s approval. Allied Organizations are selected through a competitive process and agreements are negotiated directly between the Allied Organization and NASA. Allied Organizations cannot compete in the Challenges for which they have responsibility.
“Because no NASA funds are provided to fund the conduct of the Challenges, Allied Organizations must administer the Challenges with their own funding or they must raise the funding needed to administer the Challenges through partnerships with Sponsoring Organizations or through other means. Allied Organizations are also permitted to supplement the prize purse with funding from outside organizations, such as a Sponsoring Organization.”
Taking an active part through sponsoring the CAFE Foundation’s involvement in the GFC helps fulfill NASA’s goals in funding the Challenges. These goals include:
CAFE is actively pursuing all those goals, adding the value of its demonstrated capabilities and acknowledged reputation for scrupulous administration of such events.
You or your company can benefit from individual or corporate sponsorship of the Green Flight Challenge. This will be a historically significant event – an object of worldwide public interest. We anticipate full media coverage of the GFC, providing an opportunity for sponsors to show they are part of an enlightened approach to advanced engineering and an aggressive response to climate change. Such sponsors will help frame an innovative foundation for a new age of technological achievement.
CAFE is a non-profit 501.c.3 organization, and donations are fully tax deductible. Review the Foundation’s history to see how much it has accomplished with wise use of little funding in the past. Think what could be achieved for the future with private or corporate sponsorship for the CAFE Foundation and the Green Flight Challenge. You can be a part of that future.
Additional information can be found at www.nasa.gov/challenges.