contents...as 2010 dawns, we will bid a fond farewell to robin talbert, who will retire from aarp...

ii AARP Foundation Annual Report / 2009 AARP Foundation Annual Report / 2009 1

/contents/ 2 / Letter from the Chair—N. Joyce Payne

3 / Letter from the President—Robin Talbert

4 / Job Skills and Scholarships

8 / Building Wealth, Protecting Consumers

12 / Promoting Helpful Benefits

14 / AARP Foundation Litigation

16 / Strengthening the Fabric of the Community

20 / Individual Donors: Real Support

24 / Foundation and Corporate Support

28 / The AARP Foundation Board of Directors

29 / The AARP Foundation Leadership Team

30 / Summary of Financial Information

2 AARP Foundation Annual Report / 2009 AARP Foundation Annual Report / 2009 3

We received a heartfelt letter in October from 90-year-old Dorothy Wever of California that focused on AARP’s founder, pioneer educator Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus. The letter serves as a testament to the values of independence, dignity and self-sufficiency that Dr. Andrus espoused—and the values that drive the work of the AARP Foundation to this day.

During the Great Depression, Ms. Wever attended Abraham Lincoln High School in East Los Angeles, where Dr. Andrus was principal, and worked in her office during her study period. “My family was very poor,” the former student wrote us, “and I was the only one in the senior class who could not afford a class sweater. She arranged for me to help the janitor wash desks, windows and floors to earn me enough to buy a sweater. She also helped me get my first job. It is so wonderful what she accomplished in her lifetime. I am very proud to have known her.”

We appreciate those kind words, and strive every day to bring life to our founder’s motto: “To serve, not to be served.”

The AARP Foundation has had a profound impact on lower-income people. In 2009, in the midst of the longest recession in our nation’s history, AARP Foundation helped more than 5 million older Americans, delivering services, information, education and legal advocacy to assist them in getting help to meet crucial needs for food, health care and housing; finding work; avoiding becoming victims of fraud; and managing their finances.

Here are just a few examples of what we accomplished:

• Thanks to our army of 34,600 dedicated Tax-Aide volunteers, more than 2.6 million people received free tax-preparation assistance.

• We helped people obtain financial security, providing on-the-job training to more than 20,000 low-income adults, helping 32,500 more with skills assessment and job-finding help and awarding scholarships to 108 women age 40-plus who had tremendous potential but very few resources.

• After three years, our Volunteers in Consumer Fraud Prevention Project reached a milestone in 2009 when they contacted the 2 millionth potential fraud victim.

• Through our Benefits QuickLINK program, we helped nearly 31,000 low-income older people learn about benefits designed to help them pay for groceries, prescription drugs, heating and other necessities.

R o b i n Ta l b e R T

President, AARP Foundation

Letter from the President

In 2009, AARP Foundation’s charitable work moved forward, helping millions of older persons in need feel more secure, protected and empowered. The Foundation staff, led by Foundation’s president, Robin Talbert, carried out these efforts flawlessly.

These dedicated men and women have displayed an unyielding commitment to making a positive difference in others’ lives —for the mother who can live her dream and provide for her family because of the Women’s Scholarship Fund, for the father who lands a new job using WorkSearch after long-term unemployment and for the grandparents who visit the AARP Foundation Grandparent Information Center to find tools to help the grandchildren in their care excel in school.

I have been inspired, too, by the many Foundation volunteers, clients and allies I have met from coast to coast. In March, for example, Foundation Board members visited a government center in Virginia where AARP Tax-Aide Program volunteers were helping walk-in clients complete their tax returns. The hugs and proud smiles of achievement when each return was signed won praise from the IRS staff who accompanied us. It was the type of rewarding experience we see time and again.

As 2010 dawns, we will bid a fond farewell to Robin Talbert, who will retire from AARP after 21 years of service, including seven years with the AARP Foundation. Her

outstanding leadership and commitment have created the pathway for the Foundation’s continued success in the years ahead.

As we enter a new decade, I truly believe that if we remain steadfast to the goals of the AARP Foundation, we can bring renewed hope for a better future to those who have lost it. We can break the cycles of poverty and social isolation.

We can move millions into the mainstream of American promise and prosperity. Working together, we can accomplish all of this—and much, much more.

j oyc e pay n e

Chair of the Board, AARP Foundation

Letter from the Chair


job Skills and Scholarships

t o g e t h e r c r e at i n g o p p o r t u n i t i e s /

> During the 2009 economic recession, many people in midlife felt that their lives were being dismantled. The AARP Foundation provided the tools they needed: job-search assistance, hands-on training and scholarships for promising women. Together we worked to rebuild the American dream.

putting Skills to Work Patricia Kemp assisted a number of people with their job searches by volunteering with our WorkSearch program. She coached clients by phone from the AARP National Office in Washington, D.C.

Job and Career Help

More than 32,500 mature job-seekers turned to our online WorkSearch program to assess their skills, get tips on resume-writing and interviews and find job listings. In a new twist, we offered one-on-one coaching for the first time on a pilot basis—an idea that met with great enthusiasm.

One client was 61-year-old Elias Fernandez, who was laid off in February from his job as a computer programmer and database developer. His optimism about leveraging his two decades of experience to find a new job soon faded. Fernandez feared the poor economy and his age were working against him.

Fortunately, a friend told him about WorkSearch. He logged on to the website and requested a new service—personal help from a volunteer. Soon after, he received a call from Patricia Kemp, a retiree with extensive experience in defense-related logistics and information technology.

Kemp called Fernandez every week to discuss his job search and tap into her knowledge. By phone, they practiced interview techniques, which Fernandez began using at local job fairs. After assessing the job market, Kemp suggested he consider a career change. One option was combining his computer expertise, bilingual skills and passion for teaching into communications-technology marketing.

Kemp pushes all her clients to believe in themselves and to think more creatively about what they can do: “People often don’t recognize that there’s much more to them than they think—more talent, more power, more

experience—and they don’t know how to go down deep inside themselves and find it.”

“My thinking about the jobs I can do and how to find one has changed so much, and it’s all because of Pat Kemp and the WorkSearch program,” Fernandez said.


Women’s Scholarship Program

To thrive in the tough job market, a good education is essential for people of all ages. Our Women’s Scholarship Program tackled this problem head-on for the third year. Scholarships were given to 108 outstanding women age 40 and above with low financial resources but high potential. Underwritten by individual donors, members of the AARP Foundation Women’s Leadership Circle and the Wal-mart Foundation, the scholarships helped cover tuition, fees and books at community colleges, technical/vocational schools and four-year universities.

Tshaye Taylor, 61, of Washington, D.C., was one of the first recipients of an AARP Foundation Women’s Scholarship award. She used it to complete classes in business-application software. Then she gave back by helping to screen the more than 2,400 applications submitted for our 2009 scholarship program.

Two generous grants advanced these and other efforts. West Virginia officials awarded $175,000 to the Foundation to integrate WorkSearch into the state’s Comprehensive Career Centers, and Microsoft donated $100,000 for WorkSearch pilots in New York City and Seattle, Washington.

Quick Action on Job Training

Thanks to our experienced staff, we moved quickly to put lower-income people to work after our Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) received an additional $18 million in federal grant support in February. Within weeks, 1,221 participants had been enrolled in local job-training programs (a number that grew to more than 2,000 by year’s end).

This rapid response enabled participants to gain work experience with nonprofit organizations, local groups or government agencies. With more people helping, the organizations were able to serve their communities better. Clearly, it was a win for all involved.

By the end of the year, 20,127 people had participated in our SCSEP program.

Tough love in Tough Times “We listen to the clients, and then we tell them what other people we’ve worked with have done, and we say, ‘You can do that, too.’ And you know what? People find out they can.” Charles Talley, a WorkSearch volunteer who had worked as a U.S. Postal Service manager for 35 years.

“I was out of the workforce for 17 years to care for my ailing husband, and didn’t know how to get on the right path,” Taylor said. “The Foundation scholarship provided a stepping stone to my goals.”


building Wealth, protecting consumers


> For those who were already struggling to make ends meet, the “Great Recession” hit them hard. Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the dedication of caring volunteers, the AARP Foundation provided proven and innovative ways to help vulnerable adults remain self-sufficient. Together, we worked to improve economic security.

Our 2009 efforts included free tax-preparation assistance, job-search help and scholarships to help women earn their way to financial security.

Free Tax Help

In 2009, 2.6 million people received assistance from AARP Tax-Aide. AARP Tax-Aide is the nation’s largest free, volunteer-run tax assistance and preparation service. This remarkable feat was made possible through 34,600 dedicated volunteers, most of who participate year after year.

One client, teacher Charlene Douglas-Flynn, received more than free help with filing her personal tax return at a Tax-Aide site in northern Virginia. She also got money-saving tips for the future from Debbie Herman, a full-time certified public accountant who has helped others complete their tax returns for more than 20 years. The gift of service keeps giving: Herman’s daughter is now a Tax-Aide volunteer, too.

2009 Tax-Aide by the Numbers

• 2,627,000 taxpayers were assisted.• $650 million in total refunds were achieved.• 193,000 people with low incomes received a total $200 million in Earned Income Tax Credits (a 9 percent increase over 2008).

• 34,600 IRS-trained volunteers made it all happen, averaging 75 clients each.

Fighting Fraud

We achieved a milestone in preventing fraud in 2009, by contacting our 2 millionth consumer about the dangers of telemarketing, Internet and other types of fraud. One by one since 2006, dedicated volunteers in our Consumer Fraud Prevention Project have called potential victims, whose names typically show up on con artists’ “mooch lists” seized by law enforcement officials.

AARP Tax-Aide is available to taxpayers with low and moderate incomes, with special attention to those 60 and older.

Fraud Fighting Heroes These AARP members from Washington State warned potential victims of telemarketing fraud from one of the AARP Foundation’s Fraud Fighting Call Centers.


Geoffrey Groff-Smith of Bellevue, Washington, is one of the fraud-fighters. He wanted to join our project after his wife, who suffers from moderate dementia, was repeatedly victimized by sweepstakes scams. She would send checks for $500 to $700 to cover “taxes” on her winnings. “It’s hard for her to say no to anybody,” Groff-Smith told the AARP Bulletin in July.

From nine call centers located across the country, volunteers advised consumers on how to avoid being scammed. At the kick-off of one of our newest locations, in Denver, volunteers with the AARP Foundation Colorado ElderWatch program “smiled and dialed” more than 1,500 potential victims. The ElderWatch program in West Virginia also helps prevent fraud by participating in this national public education effort.

A new website provided tips to help consumers recognize, resist and report the frauds and scams that could destroy their financial security.

Money Management

A personal lifeline was provided to more than 6,000 vulnerable adults in 2009 who had difficulty budgeting, paying routine bills or keeping track of their finances. These frail or disabled clients received help from the AARP Money Management Program, thanks to 4,400 volunteers and support from nearly 150 agencies in 24 states plus the District of Columbia.

With the assistance of funding from Harrah’s Foundation, two program sites were added in New Jersey (one of which operated on a test basis from a senior housing development, making it easier for residents to get help with their modest finances).

Preventing Identity Theft

Thousands of Colorado and West Virginia residents took advantage of the opportunity to avoid identity theft by shredding their personal documents at events co-sponsored by the AARP Foundation ElderWatch program and the attorneys general of those states. Cyber security was also the focus of an informative event held five times—due to popular demand!—by AARP West Virginia, the West Virginia Attorney General, the West Virginia Auditor’s Office, the Social Security Administration, the National

White Collar Crime Center, the National Cyber Security Alliance, the Verizon Foundation, Suddenlink and Comcast.

Supporting Caregivers

Caregivers were better able to fulfill those responsibilities while building their own long-term financial security, thanks to a $1.1 million gift from the Harrah’s Foundation. The collaboration emphasized the devoted efforts of African American and Hispanic caregivers in specific areas, including the states of Mississippi, New Jersey and New York and the cities of New Orleans, Louisiana, Phoenix, Arizona and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In addition, we provided employers with tools to help their workers balance caregiving responsibilities with their jobs.

avoiding eviction and celebrating independence A husband and wife from Beckley, West Virginia, who suffered from physical and mental disabilities faced eviction from their government-subsidized apartment in 2009.

Staff of the Raleigh County Commission on Aging realized the couple would be great candidates for the AARP Foundation’s Money Management Program. One of the program’s volunteers, David Shilling (shown above), met with the couple and began working up a sensible household budget that separated “needs” from “wants.” Soon they had saved enough to bring their rent up to date, turn the phone back on, regain access to the storage facility and even welcome a pet cat for companionship.


promoting Helpful benefits


> Navigating through the maze of available public and private benefits programs can be difficult and confusing. Many people don’t know what benefits are available, or how to apply. Our Benefits QuickLINK website enabled nearly 31,000 people to learn about and apply for benefits designed to help pay for groceries, drugs, home heat and other necessities.

Benefits Outreach

These efforts were bolstered through our vibrant collaborations with 12 AARP state offices. For example, AARP Ohio made available Benefits QuickLINK screenings to people who gathered for free health screenings during four stops of the AARP/Walgreens Wellness Bus tour—with positive results. Twenty participants learned they were eligible for an estimated $46,517 in annual benefits.

New features were added to the Benefits QuickLINK website, too. They included AARP’s online tool for calculating the Medicare Part D “doughnut hole” and the AARP Foundation’s State Guides to Public Benefits.

Food Assistance

Sadly, only one-third of seniors who are eligible for help with buying the food they need for good health actually receive that benefit from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps). Our online SNAP map helped thousands of people learn about and apply for the special debit card that can be used like an ATM card at most grocery stores, certain senior centers and nonprofit meal delivery services (such as Meals on Wheels).

We also focused policy-makers’ attention on improving older Americans’ access to SNAP during a December 2 forum held in Washington, DC.

One appreciative client told us, “QuickLINK provided in just a few moments information that I’ve been trying to research and understand for months. I’m truly grateful. Thank you!”

State-specific information to help people learn about and apply for food benefits was available via an interactive map on the Foundation’s website.


aaRp Foundation litigation


> The AARP Foundation Litigation team stood up for the rights of mature individuals in the courts throughout the year. Victories included wins for vulnerable adults and for homebuyers who had been ripped off by unscrupulous lenders. Together, we helped assure that older people had a voice in the judicial system.

Health and Long-Term Care

In cases brought by AARP Foundation Litigation attorneys, three federal courts protected the rights of people of modest incomes to remain in their homes as they get older, with the help of supportive services funded by Medicaid.

As many as 8,500 low-income seniors in Florida will receive the option to transition out of Medicaid-funded nursing home care and begin receiving help with eating, bathing, dressing and other needs at home or in the community. This landmark settlement was reached in a case that challenged the states’ bias toward institutional care.

In California, 8,000 low-income adults retained access to the healing and comfort of adult day health care services after the court blocked the state from slashing funds for the program. A similar court victory helped guarantee access to timely home- and community-based care for eligible Arizonans.

Predatory Lending

Five members of the U.S. Supreme Court said it would have been “bizarre” to get in the way of state attorneys general seeking to enforce their state fair-housing laws. AARP’s friend-of-the-court brief had noted that states put in place stronger borrower-protection laws after federal regulatory agencies failed to curb pervasive predatory lending practices.

Drug Safety

Diana Levine’s right arm was amputated after gangrene set in following a faulty drug-injection procedure. She sued the prescription drug manufacturer, which claimed it was subject only to FDA regulations, not state tort laws. The U.S. Supreme Court sided with AARP’s friend-of-the-court brief in upholding the victim’s claim that federal regulations alone are not adequate to protect consumers’ safety. When asked by the AARP Bulletin what she would do with the compensation coming her way after losing her arm, Levine said “a garage,” so she’d be spared the difficulty of cleaning Vermont’s snow off her car.

Age Discrimination

Ignoring AARP’s plea not to treat older workers as second-class citizens, the U.S. Supreme Court voted to impose a much higher standard of proof for age-discrimination victims than for workers facing bias based on their race, gender or disability. Congress introduced legislation in October to overturn the ruling in Gross v. FBL Financial Services, Inc.


Strengthening the Fabric of the community


> To help leverage what really works in helping vulnerable adults become more financially secure, AARP Foundation collaborated with a number of creative nonprofit and for-profit organizations in 2009. Together, we made it better.

One of them was CFED (the Corporation for Enterprise Development), a national nonprofit dedicated to expanding economic opportunity for low-income people. We were proud to provide lead sponsorship support for its innovation@cfed initiative, which included an October summit in Washington, DC, that fostered lively discussions on topics such as serving people who do not use traditional banks and equipping young adults for a lifetime of savings.

We also began following with interest the work of four bold thinkers, whom CFED calls “Innovators in Residence.” Their interplay with our staff and others could help bring to life the creative ideas they are exploring, such as encouraging small businesses to provide direct-deposit of low-wage workers’ paychecks and making manufactured housing more available and affordable by aggregating demand for it from nonprofits nationwide.

AARP Foundation also teamed with Bank On Los Angeles (BOLA) to encourage more people with limited incomes to avoid high-cost, high-risk services such as payday lenders and check-cashing stores by learning about bank services tailored to their needs. Alma Islas was one of the Latina volunteers known as “promotoras” who worked on our behalf to get the word out about the free tax preparation and bank account opening services made available by BOLA.

Islas, who has lived in the area all her life, was delighted at the results. “My basic process was to say it was free, easy and you get your refund back quickly. I told them they’d also get the opportunity to see if they were eligible to open a bank account, which I encouraged a lot of members to do,” she said. As a result, Islas said, “The people I helped have the idea of saving

banking on it Alma Islas helped us notify Spanish-speaking people with modest incomes about the free tax preparation and bank account opening services made available by Bank On Los Angeles.

money, and they have more knowledge about using a bank account and all the money they are saving from check-cashers. “

“The experience was great. To me, it’s important to educate the community like that.”


Living Better in Post-Katrina New Orleans

Nearly four and a half years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, older residents in one neighborhood have embraced an AARP Foundation effort to make their community more livable —and a model for cities nationwide.

It’s taking place in Hollygrove, a mid-city working class neighborhood with one of New Orleans’ highest percentages of residents over age 50. The hurricane’s wind and water ravaged the neighborhood and the lives of its 5,000 residents, 98 percent of whom are African Americans.

Supported by a two-year, $230,000 grant from the Harrah’s Foundation that began in February 2009, AARP Foundation began working with AARP’s Louisiana office, older residents, community leaders, architects and urban planners. The goal is not only to address Hollygrove residents’ concerns about transportation, employment, crime and neighborhood rebuilding, but also to actively involve them in solving the problems.

Perhaps the most dramatic outcome of the first-year efforts was an improvement in public safety. Working with AARP Louisiana and an international crime-reduction expert, Hollygrove residents incorporated community-oriented policing strategies and met with property owners where crime is a problem. The result? According to the 2nd District police commander, crime was reduced dramatically in just eight months. Importantly, for the first time since Katrina hit in 2005, Hollygrove’s crime rate dropped below the city’s average.

Other first-year achievements included the design and construction of a new, architecturally significant bus shelter; the development of a small business directory featuring residents’ skills, trades, crafts and talents; and, to underscore the importance of healthy living, a new, once-a-week walking club.



individual Donors: Real Support


> A thank you to our donors for their support in 2009.

Individual Donors

The AARP Foundation recognizes the following donors as of December 31, 2009: The Andrus Society and The Leadership Society recognize outstanding philanthropic contributions to the AARP Foundation, and AARP Foundation Women’s Scholarship Program sponsored by the Women’s Leadership Circle for contributions received in 2009.

The Andrus Society

Pillar ($10,000 - 24,999)Anonymous Deborah CarstensTena ClarkRichard GoldAddison B. Rand and Donna M. RandRobin Talbert and Bruce GoldsteinHarry and Jeanette WeinbergCurtis L. Carlson Family Foundation

The Leadership Society

Gold ($5,000 - $9,999)AnonymousJulie Robinson

Silver ($2,500 - $4,999)Alembic Heath Communications Inc.Association for Supervision and Curriculum DevelopmentSara GaddKB HomeNancy LeaMondRaymond LeClercJean MurrayRob RomascoDennis P. Wilbert and Joan R. RuffBeth and David Whitehead

Bronze ($1,000 - $2,499) Gail AldrichHelen E. BaptistCelia BlalockWarren BradleyJames BradleyLeon BrileyDoug BrittGJ BrownMargaret BuckelJeremiah M. CallaghanHarry CampbellAlice CarrickJennie Chin HansenArthur ChristianCora ChristianAnita Cicero

Stuart CohenFrederick S. and Dorothy S. Coleman Foundation Inc.Mary T. CooperHisako CooxGeorge CrystalChristina M. DanguillecourtRose DalzielRonda DeitchJames K. DonnellLorraine DriscollMary DrumhellerKathleen DunaganJoan S. DurantWelton DykesDavid and Kathleen EdmundRaquel EgusquizaHorst J. EmmerichsGeraldine EngleMonica EstabrookeAnn EverettsAndrew W. EwartRobert FairfieldLinda FisherVera M. FitzgeraldA. James Forbes, Jr.Martha F. FordRenee FraserMichael FreundKaren GallardoJane GarnettJim GomesMary Grate-PyosElizabeth GreeneFrederick GriesbachWilliam HallStuyve HamersleyJoanne HandyHamilton HarrisFaith D. HoggEllen HollanderGordon HubbardScott JamesStella JohnsonDenis JohnstonHowland JonesGeorge S. KaufmanBrenda KelleyVictor KieserMerlyn KinchelowFred Lees

James H. LentzHelen MandelHarl MansurMara MayorE G McGuirePatricia McLaurinMae MendelsonSusan MilerBernard M. MinskAlexander MitchellSusan MorisatoDeborah NeffThomas NelsonWilliam NovelliEdward O’DayRose S. OstrovskyShereen RemezConstance RhodenDonald O. RimsniderMichelle King RobsonDelores RoedelJohn W. RoseCatherine C. Samuels

Chong-Ae ShahPatricia D. ShannonRosemary M. ShearerKari SmithJulia StephensMr. and Mrs. Gilbert Steward Jr.Lynn StrausRobert StrembelSharyn SuttonDawn SweeneyJohn D. ThompsonHenrietta ThompsonJoseph TitusEdward A. TorreroNeal WallaceCharles WeissGrant and Mary WhiteLeland WhiteArt T. WongRandall WorkmanJanice WrightMargaret Wyllie

Women’s Leadership Circle

The Women’s Leadership Circle (WLC) is a network of volunteer leaders, women of affluence and influence, who support the AARP Foundation in achieving its mission and goals: specifically, to create, enhance and protect opportunities and foster security for those at risk of having insufficient resources in the second half of life.

CabinetDeborah CarstensTena ClarkCurtis L. Carlson Family FoundationHarry and Jeanette Weinberg

MembersAnonymousGail AldrichHelen BaptistCelia BlalockJennie Chin HansenCora ChristianAnita CiceroRonda DeitchMary DrumhellerKathleen EdmondRaquel B. EgusquizaMonica Estabrooke

Linda FisherKaren GallardoMary Grate-PyosWilliam HallJoanne HandyBrenda KelleyNancy LeaMondMara MayorMaeona MendelsonSusan MilerSusan Morisato Michelle King RobsonDennis P. Wilbert and Joan R. RuffChong-Ae ShahJulia StephensDawn SweeneyRobin Talbert


The Andrus Legacy Society

The Andrus Legacy Society honors the work of AARP founder, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, and provides recognition to individuals who name the AARP Foundation as a beneficiary in their will or estate plan, or who make an irrevocable life income gift, such as a charitable gift annuity. These legacy gifts perpetuate AARP’s legacy of caring and allow us to carry out our commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all as we age.

We thank the following individuals, wishing to leave a lasting legacy, who have named AARP Foundation as beneficiary.

Gifts through Bequests or Estate PlansEddie Lee AndersonEstates of Lee and Sachie BaldwinEstate of Virginia W. DennisonRay J. HarvieMorton Horowitz Thomas P. PattersonWilliam Michaelson Revocable Living TrustElenor J. MilesEstate of Duane S. MyersAlfred A. PlonskyEstate of Wava Naomi RandallF. Virginia RohdeEstate of Lloyd W. SutherlandSteele Family TrustWinsten Family Trust

Future BequestsAnonymous (84)Sam B. AtencioEdgar E. Beck IIIShelley BuckinghamKay BurchKaren GallardoJoseph C. Giordano, Jr.Harry GoldenCarol A. HenryJoan and Claude LeBelKeith A. MaasDuane MyersMarnay O’NealAnthony and Shirley OnestoAnthony PerrinLeon N. Phelps, Sr.

Gifts through Charitable Gift Annuities, Charitable Remainder Trusts, or Charitable Lead TrustsAnonymous (121)Ms. Alice E. Smith-AbatéA.K.N. and Nilufar AhmedAngel (Yino) AntongiorgiKathe ArzdorfHerman C. BainderLu and Charlie BangertH. Wayne and Anne Anne D. BarbettiLarry E. BarthMs. E.K. BivensHarriet J. Brown

Frank CaliendoWilliam and Barbara Camburn~Samuel and Annie ChadwickCol. James M. ComptonRichard T. CorvettiJohn R. CraneChristine M. CruzJames B. CunninghamCharles C. CuppyRichard W. CusterAila G. DaweWilliam H. and Vivian C. deBritoPamela DeteringJames R. and Alice Di MeoloEvelyn and George F. Eckhardt, Jr.Philip EllgenJohn C. and Genevieve~ FairvalH. FeidelbergWilma S. FirsichGloria W. FrancoeurK.E. FreemanSid and Betty GarvaisMr. and Mrs. Stuart B. GerberAlice S. GillisseJo. M. Gledhill and Richard L. BowmanP.K. Govind and Sally L. LuckenbachCarmen GutierrezRuth~ and Ernie HanfordEthel G. HarrisHazel E. HartAlicia O. HernandezJim and Sally HershbergerForrest L. HirstMarjorie Hill HoarRolph S. and Harriett~ F. HofflundRobert R. HolmesEric R. Jensen, Ph.D.Joline LarkinsMaryon Patricia LearsJune LeesHazel A. LewisJanis LewisonRev. Raymond A. LeyMr. and Mrs. Lloyd R. LovenRobert LuthFrederick R. and Virginia McCammonHugh W. McCarronSara C. McGahan

Key: ~ - Deceased

creativity blooms Kenneth Johnson of Wytheville, Virginia, supported the Foundation in a creative way—by participating in our 2010 calendar contest. His work, “It’s a Beautiful Day,” ranked highest of the 14 paintings selected to appear in the Foundation’s 2010 calendar from among 1,300 entries.

Foundation donors and AARP members cast more than 90,000 votes during a spirited and robust online contest. Proceeds from calendar sales support the Foundation’s life-changing work.

Jennie R. MedlinElizabeth Anne MeekJames R. and Alice Di MeoloAnn E. MichaelsonKenneth D. MillerGeorge MitchellMay MooreDr. Ed MuellerWilliam M. Myers, Jr.Eugene D. NasatirRuth NolteJoseph PavoneIn Memory of Karl Herrick Elwyn PinksHernando Pinzon-IsazaTheodore and Eleanor PirozekEd and Jeanette RayMary Ellen Reid

Frank and Maria RobinsonJulie RobinsonMrs. Helen P. RogersNick and Florence RulliDaniel and Audrey SchechterJohn A. SenaH. Boyd SkeltonEsther H. SmithJune R. StrachanGordon StreibThomas TomkiewiczAlexander VolkL. Robert and Elise WarnHarvey M. WeitkampGlenn H. WingJune Yip


Foundation and corporate Support


> It was heartening for us to collaborate with so many organizations and institutions that generously shared their resources--despite troubled economic times--to help low-income adults become more financially secure and independent. The benefits of their generosity extended far beyond the AARP Foundation initiatives they supported. Our gratitude, and that of the more than five million people who received much-needed help, knows no boundaries.

Research

Research is pivotal to understanding what has worked in the past, and why particular efforts succeed or fail. Failure to undertake solid research is like building a house without a foundation.

A $500,000 grant from The Atlantic Philanthropies in support of the AARP Foundation’s new center on poverty and aging will illuminate the financial security needs of low- and moderate-income older people and how they can best be met. Given that the number of U.S. residents aged 50 and older is projected to double by 2050, the grant will provide research insights to guide development of policies that will ensure that older people’s needs are met without bankrupting younger generations or the federal government.

In the same vein, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation—in its first grant to AARP Foundation—committed $374,000 to support in-depth research for our Preparing for a Workforce without Boomers initiative. Findings and recommendations from this study on the approaching demographic shifts and their impact on the U.S. workforce will be published in October 2010.

Education and Jobs

When it comes to living in poverty, women have an unfortunate edge—especially during their retirement years. While working, women typically earn only 77 cents for every dollar that men earn and devote far more unpaid time to raising a family or caring for older relatives. Women also live longer, stretching their meager nest eggs even thinner.

One solution to this multi-faceted problem, the AARP Foundation Women’s Scholarship Program, has blossomed since its introduction in 2007. Supported in part by generous donations from members of the Foundation’s Women’s Leadership Circle, the scholarships have allowed almost 300 remarkable women to get the education and training they need to obtain better jobs today and a financially secure retirement tomorrow.

Although more than 2,400 women applied for our 2009 scholarships, funding was adequate to support only 63 scholarship awards. A much-needed shot in the arm arrived later in 2009, when the first installment of the Walmart Foundation’s $1.5 million grant to the Women’s Scholarship Program arrived. Thanks to this foundation’s generosity, an additional 45 promising women age 40+ received scholarships—including assistance with college-level tuition, books and fees—this year.


Meanwhile, the number of unemployed workers age 55 to 64 has nearly tripled in the last two years. Thanks to AARP Foundation’s WorkSearch program, more than 32,000 mature adults received assistance with skills assessments, job openings and more in 2009. WorkSearch greatly benefited from the generous support of both Microsoft, which gave $100,000 to help expand its services in Seattle and New York City, and Denver’s Rose Community Foundation, which provided a $10,000 Boomers Leading Change grant to WorkSearch.

Helping People Who Help Others

Each year, more than one of every five adults provides unpaid care to older adults or disabled family members. Most of these caregivers (60 percent) work full-time. AARP Foundation has several initiatives to help caretakers, their families and their employers -- all made possible with help from these corporate and foundation donors.

• Harrah’s Foundation provided a $1.1 million grant for Meeting America’s Caregiving Challenge, a comprehensive community-based strategy to help current and former caregivers fulfill their responsibilities while continuing to build their own long-term financial security.

• The John A. Hartford Foundation provided a $698,364 grant to support the second phase of Professional Partners Supporting Family Caregiving, which helps nurses and social workers meet the needs of family caregivers.

• New York Life Foundation donated $319,000 to support Integrated Kinship Caregiving in the state of New York. Thanks to this grant, AARP’s New York state office provided advanced training to professionals who work with children and the older relatives, usually grandparents, who are raising them.

Helping People Meet Basic Needs

On April 14, 2009, an AARP/Walgreens Wellness Tour Bus began a two-year tour across the U.S. By the time the bus comes to a final stop, it will have visited more than 3,000 cities, providing more than 2.5 million people, mostly in underserved communities, access to free health screenings and the opportunity to take part in the Foundation’s Benefits QuickLINK (BQL) program. BQL helps

low-income older people find out if they may qualify for federal, state and local assistance to help them cover the costs of food, prescription drugs, housing, utilities and other essential needs.

Promoting, Protecting and Preserving Assets

AARP Foundation’s Tax-Aide Program provided income tax preparation services to nearly 3 million low- and moderate-income Americans who received free, one-on-one assistance from a small army of 34,600 dedicated volunteers. The AARP Foundation is very grateful to New York Life Foundation, whose $300,000 grant helped Tax-Aide create a user-friendly, Web-based volunteer recruitment tool that helped raise the program’s volunteer retention rates and satisfaction levels even higher.

Our Western Union and MoneyGram Consumer Fraud Prevention Projects use fire to fight fire. Since 2006, our volunteers have telephoned more than 2 million people to warn them against giving money or personal information to scammers who may call asking for this information. Even better, the volunteers give them the tools to fight back and report the callers to the police. In 2009, thanks to $367,000 in multiple Campaign for Wise and Safe Investing grants from Investor Protection Trust, investor education efforts were undertaken statewide in Alaska, Arkansas, Maine, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

The quality of long-term care services provided in the United States ranges from the sublime to the atrocious. Thus we are very grateful to the Commonwealth Fund and the SCAN Foundation for supporting our study about feasibility of a state-by-state scorecard to help consumers rank long-term care services. These grants also supported our consensus-building efforts to determine what a high-performing long-term care system would look like. Each organization contributed $87,640, with SCAN supplying an additional $7,600, allowing us to begin work a month earlier.

With Gratitude

The generous contributions of the

following organizations helped AARP

Foundation improve the quality of life

for older adults in need.

Anonymous

AARP

The Atlantic Philanthropies

Bank of America

Colorado Attorney General’s Office

The Commonwealth Fund

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Google, Inc.

Harrah’s Foundation

The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.

The John A. Hartford Foundation

Investor Protection Trust

MetLife Foundation

Microsoft Corporation

MoneyGram International, Inc.

New York Community Trust

New York Life Foundation

PG&E Corporation

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Rose Community Foundation

The Home Depot

The SCAN Foundation

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

State of West Virginia

State of West Virginia, WorkForce West Virginia

Isaac H. Tuttle Fund

United Health Foundation

UnitedHealth Group, Inc.

United States Department of Health & Human Services, Administration on Aging

United States Department of Housing & Urban Development

United States Department of Labor

United States Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service

Walgreen Co.

Walmart Foundation

Washington State Attorney General’s Office

Western Union

Verizon



The AARP Foundation Board of Directors

Members of the AARP Foundation Board of Directors are elected to serve two-year terms. For the 2008-2010 biennium, they are:

N. Joyce Payne (Board Chair)N. Joyce Payne, EdD, is an academic, executive and authority on women’s issues from Rocky Mount, North Carolina. She is a member of the AARP Board of Directors and serves on its Audit and Finance Committee. Dr. Payne is executive director of the National Endowment for the Public Trust, an organization committed to advancing principled leadership, inspired scholarship and trusted stewardship. She accepted this position following her retirement as vice president of human resources and minority programs for the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges. She founded the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund, which has awarded over $50 million in scholarship assistance and capacity-building support.

George Rowan (Vice Chair)George Rowan, PhD, is a professor from East Lansing, Michigan. He is a member of the AARP Board of Directors and serves on its Member Value Social Impact Committee. Previously he served as AARP Michigan State President. Dr. Rowan is a professor at Michigan State University (MSU) and holds an extension appointment. He has been involved in a wide range of health and educational committees and organizations, including the Michigan African American Health Institute. Previously, he was director of the David Walker Research Institute at MSU and assistant dean for external relations, following service as a principal in the Grand Rapids, Michigan public school system.

Joan Ruff (Treasurer, Finance Chair)Joan Ruff, JD, of Mission Woods, Kansas, recently retired after more than 30 years in the private sector. She spent the last 10 years of her career as assistant vice president of knowledge development for H&R Block, and as executive vice president for corporate development at Zurich Financial Services-North America. Ms. Ruff has been active in community and professional groups for more than 30 years. She has served on the executive committee for the Mid-Continent Council of Girl Scouts and as national delegate for the Girl Scouts USA. She currently serves on the Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee.

Joanne Handy (Audit Chair)Joanne Handy, RN, MS, is a nurse and executive from San Francisco, California. She is a member of the AARP Board of Directors and serves on the AARP Insurance Trust. Ms. Handy became president and CEO of Aging Services of California in 2009 following 10 years as president and CEO of the Visiting Nurse Association of Boston. Previously, she headed the San Francisco-based Institute on Aging. In her prior volunteer efforts, Ms. Handy was a board member of the Visiting Nurse Associations of America, the National Association of Home Care and the California Association for Health Services at Home.

Arthur Ulene (Development Chair) Art Ulene, M.D., of Los Angeles, California, is a Board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist who spearheaded the use of television and other vehicles to promote public health. The NBC Today Show featured his health reports for 23 years. He has written more than 50 health-related books and home video/audio programs. A faculty member at the University of Southern California (USC) School of Medicine for 20 years, he now serves on the Boards of Councilors for the USC School of Pharmacy and the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and on the Advisory Boards for the USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Claremont Graduate University School of Community and Global Health and the Children’s Partnership.

Madeleine Moore-BurrellMadeleine Moore-Burrell of New York City is an expert in multicultural marketing. She founded Moore Creative, the first African American marketing firm awarded a post-apartheid contract with South Africa, launching the Sister City agreement between New York City and Johannesburg. For over a decade she marketed the annual New Orleans Essence Music Festival. As co-founder of the National Professionals Network, Inc., she has brought thousands of African American professionals and industry leaders together for the past 20 years at an annual Leadership Summit at Sea conference.

Bruce Corson Bruce Corson, MBA, of Chicago, Illinois, has owned and managed companies for 30 years in a variety of industries, supplying consumer products from footwear to frozen foods. This self-described “eclectic entrepreneur” has devised creative solutions to the innumerable challenges confronting executive managers. He co-founded PeerHQ, a nonprofit that assists companies in engaging with their customers and business cohorts in informal advisory board settings. In addition to his entrepreneurial activities, he served for six years as chair for TEC International, an organization of senior executives who meet in small groups around the world to capitalize on the power of peer learning.

J. David NelsonJ. David Nelson, MBA, is a business leader from Old Greenwich, Connecticut. He serves on the AARP Board of Directors and its Audit and Finance Committee. In 2009 Mr. Nelson was appointed executive vice president of VaporStream, Inc., a Chicago-based software company. Previously, he was chief operating officer of the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship following an extensive career with IBM that spanned 33 years. As a volunteer, he serves on the advisory board of Envision EMI, which creates unique experiences for high achieving young people, and is a mentor to graduate students at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Thomas C. NelsonTom Nelson, PhD, is AARP’s chief operating officer. He is responsible for key AARP operations, including membership, social impact, communications, people strategy and community service and field delivery capabilities. Since joining AARP in 1980, Mr. Nelson’s many contributions include expanding AARP’s state capacity, strengthening the advocacy team, developing the volunteer ranks and growing AARP’s community service efforts. Previously, Dr. Nelson was at the University of Southern California Andrus Gerontology Center. As a staff member at the Federal Trade Commission in the 1970s, he investigated the funeral industry, nursing homes and other consumer issues facing older persons.

Fernando Torres-GilFernando Torres-Gil, PhD, of Los Angeles, California, is a renowned expert in health and long-term care, social policy, ethnicity, disability and the politics of aging. He is acting dean and associate dean of academic affairs, professor of social welfare and public policy, and director of the Center for Policy Research on Aging at the School of Public Affairs, University of California at Los Angeles. As the first assistant secretary for aging at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service, Dr. Torres-Gil played a key role in consolidating and enhancing federal programs for seniors. He serves on several boards, including the California Endowment.

AARP Foundation Leadership Team – 2009

Robin TalbertPresident

Stuart CohenSenior Vice President, Legal Advocacy

Brian HoflandDirector, Center for Economic Justice

Patricia D. ShannonSenior Vice President, Operations and Chief Financial Officer

Barbara ShipleyInterim Senior Vice President, Programs

Sharyn SuttonVice President, Strategy and Communication

Vivian VasalloSenior Director, Community Innovations

David WhiteheadChief Development Officer and Senior Vice President, Development

Front row (left to right): Art Ulene, Fernando Torres-Gil, N. Joyce Payne (chair), Joan Ruff, George Rowan back row (left to right): Bruce Corson, Joanne Handy, Tom Nelson, Madeleine Moore-Burrell, J. David Nelson


AARP FoUNDATioN Summary of Financial information

> ToTal expenSeS $156.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2009

> ToTal opeRaTing Revenue $144.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2009

Management & General / 4%

Development / 7%

Programs / 89%

Other / 1%In-kind Contributions / 18%

Grant Revenue / 71%

Contributions / 10%

The summary of financial information has been extracted from the AARP Foundation audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2009 and on which an independent public accounting firm expressed an unqualified opinion.

2009 2008

ASSETS

Cash and cash equivalents $10,497 $13,772 Contributions receivable 666 1,242 Grants receivable 12,403 6,461 Due from affiliates 446 2,942 Prepaid expenses and other assets 1,842 1,877 Property and equipment, net 19,119 19,926 Investments 53,615 52,307 Charitable gift annuity investments 8,196 7,560

Total assets 106,784 $106,087

LiABiLiTiES

Accounts payable and accrued expenses $6,944 $6,430 Deferred revenue 9,644 9,522 Due to affiliates 4,316 3,516 Charitable gift annuity liability 6,033 6,141 Bonds payable 25,000 25,000

Total liabilities 51,937 $50,609

NET ASSETS

Unrestricted: Undesignated 17,449 20,105 Board designated—quasi endowment 13,419 11,115 Board designated—operating reserves 18,122 16,952 Total unrestricted net assets 48,990 48,172

Temporarily restricted 5,857 7,306 Total net assets 54,847 55,478

Total liabilities and net assets $106,784 $106,087

AARP Foundation Consolidated Statement of Financial Position

As of December 31, 2009 and 2008 (in thousands)

The complete AARP Foundation 2009 Audited Financial Statements are available at www.aarp.org/foundation.


2009 2008

oPERATiNG REVENUE

Grant revenue $103,106 $88,665 Contributions 14,794 36,545 In-kind contributions 25,857 25,122 Investment income designated for operations 747 709 Other 440 399

Total operating revenue 144,944 151,440

EXPENSES

Program services:WorkSearch 109,517 98,717 Tax-Aide 11,408 11,641 Legal advocacy 4,653 5,491 Other programs 13,080 13,878 Total program services 138,658 129,727

Supporting services:Fundraising 11,734 15,862 Management and general 6,228 6,465 Total supporting services 17,962 22,327

Total expenses 156,620 152,054 Change in net assets from operations (11,676) (614)

Other changes in net assets:Investment income (loss) in excess of amounts designated for operations 11,580 (20,151)Change in value of charitable gift annuities (535) (291)

CHANGE IN NET ASSETS (631) (21,056)

NET ASSETS, BEGINNING OF YEAR 55,478 76,534

NET ASSETS, END OF YEAR $54,847 $55,478

AARP Foundation Consolidated Statement of Activities

For the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008 (in thousands)

34 AARP Foundation Annual Report / 2009

601 E Street NW Washington, DC 20049

www.aarp.org

contents...as 2010 dawns, we will bid a fond farewell to robin talbert, who will retire from aarp...

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