San Diego (September 1, 2009) – The NBTA Foundation, the education and research foundation of the National Business Travel Association (NBTA), has raised $5.7 million through its Foundation Partnership Initiative since its March 2008 launch. In the last year, seven new donors have pledged to support the initiative, set to run through 2013, and will help the NBTA Foundation to continue to deliver and enhance educational and research offerings, expand these offerings globally, and build a Foundation that is self-sustaining.

Fay Beauchine, NBTA Foundation Board of Trustees Chair, said, “This last year has been very challenging for all of us. However, despite the obstacles, the Foundation continues to receive generous support, allowing the Foundation to continue providing new and valuable research and educational offerings domestically and globally, enhance existing programs and products, and begin to build the resources needed to sustain the Foundation in the future.”

The following companies and NBTA Chapters joined the Foundation Partnership Initiative since July 2008:

The following companies and NBTA Chapters have also pledged support to the Foundation Partnership Initiative:

Tom Gleason, President, North America of HRG, said, "As long time supporters of the NBTA Foundation we were well aware of the Foundation's value.  With their new partnership model we designed a comprehensive program with an attractive ROI that allowed HRG to step-up our support, demonstrate our Thought Leadership, and take advantage of multiple global platforms."

Dean Sivley, President and CEO of Travel Guard, said, "We were seeking new avenues to enhance our presence in the corporate travel market as well as launch new products. The NBTA Foundation offered the ideal scenario. Not only are we excited about the benefits of our new partnership, but we are also helping advance the travel insurance industry. What a great vehicle to do business." 

Roger Hale, President & CEO of ADTRAV Travel Management, said, “When the foundation approached us for a partnership we knew we wanted to do something that would support the education of travel buyers in our industry. We are excited to say the Foundation exceeded our expectations!  This partnership has become an integral part of our strategy for the future.”

About NBTA Foundation

The NBTA Foundation is the education and research foundation of the National Business Travel Association (NBTA). The foundation was established in 1997 to support NBTA’s members and the industry as a whole. As the leading education and research foundation in the business travel industry, the NBTA Foundation seeks to fund initiatives to advance the business travel profession. The foundation offers the only master’s-level accredited course and professional designation for the corporate travel professional, the Global Leadership Professional (GLP) program, in partnership with The Wharton School. The industry’s leading benchmarking resource – the Managed Travel Index® (MTI) & Benchmarking Tool – is offered by the foundation. The NBTA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information, see www.nbtafoundation.org.