It has been over 2 years since any information from the foundation has been reported to the fellows of the academy. It is, at this time, my pleasure to pass on to you the progress that has been made to reorganize the foundation board and to proceed with our mission of providing grants to worthy dental projects, funding scholarships, and supporting research.

Due to the disruption primarily caused by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, mission projects run by nonprofit organizations were mostly shut down. Earlier this year efforts began to develop a plan to reconstitute the Foundation Board. Monthly zoom meetings have been held. A call for nominations for new board members was sent to the membership. Several very qualified individuals were recommended and identified. The sequence to replace board members’ expiring terms as prescribed by the bylaws was put in place. The board has approved four new members with several others slotted to come on to fill expiring terms over the next 2–3 years. We welcomed the addition of two new members from the corporate dental community at the annual meeting (held virtually) on September 1, 2021. We are excited to have Ms. Pam Clark of Cattani Australasia and Mr. Gianfranco Berrutti the current president of the International Dental Manufacturers Association (IDM) join the board. The board looks forward to their input.

Mr. Christian Brutzer, the President of Ivoclar Vivadent North America and our Vice President is also the finance/ investment committee chair. He reported on the status of our investment portfolio. Thanks to the excellent management of our investments by Carla Koran of Morgan Stanley with the oversight of the committee, we are in a favorable position to fund grants for the foreseeable future.

The board acted in several areas regarding funding. The following is a summary of the requests that were approved.

1. Continued support of the Chau Lam Memorial Scholarship. The board has specific funds reserved for its continuation in the future

2. Approved a grant to Smiles International Foundation (project Baja Smiles)

   This project headed by Dr. Jeffrey Moses centers on treating cleft lip/cleft palate disorders in children and the dental problems associated with it.

3. Approved a grant to Hope Dental Clinic in St. Paul, Minnesota. This grant will help secure a portable nitrous oxide/oxygen for use by a pediatric dentist in their clinic

4. Approved a grant for the Global Health Literacy Program. This is a continuation of grants that were provided and initiated previously by Dr. Claudio Fernandes and his colleagues

5. Approved an emergency grant to Mozambique Dental Help. This grant was to help restore telecommunications and safety measures to the clinic following a robbery and vandalism act. This project is run by the Monastery of the Order Sisters of the Precious Blood

6. Provided support to the CE symposium of the ADI convocation and meeting In San Antonio TX

7. Provided support to the Journal of Global Oral Health regarding its initiative to publish research articles.

The foundation is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit corporation registered in California, USA.

Donations to the foundation are welcome and may be directed to the executive director at exedirec@adi.org.

With sincere fellowship,

Thomas L. Brink, DDS, FADI

President of Academy of Dentistry International Foundation.