Our Background
Established in 1982, The Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians-Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians, a statewide association with over 3,000 family physicians. A 501(c)3 non-profit organization, the WAFP-Foundation is governed by a nine-member board of directors.
Our Mission
The mission of the Wisconsin Academy of Family PhysiciansFoundation is to enhance the quality of family health care in Wisconsin through funding of appropriate education, research and philanthropic projects of the Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians by providing significant support and stewardship of funds.
The Foundation's Areas Of Focus Are:
Funding Sources
Students to FUTURE
This program is designed to fund medical students who are interested in Family Medicine. These students attend AAFP's FUTURE Conference during the summer, giving them the opportunity to come together with family medicine leaders, educators and recruiters. In 2025, forty-one Wisconsin students and residents attended FUTURE, of those forty-one, twenty-eight students were funded by WAFP – Foundation and nine students were funded by AAFP – Foundation.
Stethoscopes for Residents
This initiative's goal is to give away at least one stethoscope to a resident at each of Wisconsin’s 21 Family Medicine Residency Programs during an annual visit to the Program. These visits have included a presentation by WAFP leaders on a topic of the Program's choosing that includes a brief discussion about the benefits of membership as both a resident and an active practicing physician.
Champion of Family Medicine Legacy Council
This charitable initiative has been created to provide WAFP members an opportunity to establish a personal legacy and make a lasting impact on Family Medicine in Wisconsin. Champions of Family Medicine Legacy Council was developed for an engaged community of donors who have stepped up to take a leadership role. Now members can help ensure that a program meaningful to them, along with the mission of the Foundation, continues for years to come by including the WAFP-Foundation in their estate planning.
Future of Family Medicine Endowment Fund
The Foundation's endowment fund is to grow and be used to provide ongoing support for its initiatives in the future. Since an endowment is a gift in perpetuity, it is designed to be large enough to allow the interest gained on investments to be used for expenditures of special projects while the principal remains untouched (and growing) as additional gifts are received. 100% of endowment donations go directly to the fund - only investment income is used annually for projects supported by the Academy on an as needed basis. Since established in 2003, the Endowment fund is worth $415,000, with an investment return of $83,020.81 in 2019.
The WAFP-Foundation continued its focus on workforce development and Wisconsin's need for additional family physicians. In its twelfth year, the "Students to FUTURE" campaign, over 87% have selected Family Medicine as their specialty.
In 2025, we successfully sent 28 students to the AAFP’s FUTURE Conference and raised $9,650.
