AVIXA Launches Brad Sousa Impact Fund; Now Taking Donations And Grant Applications

February 23, 2024 by Dave Haynes

The AVIXA Foundation, the charitable arm of the Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association, has officially launched the Brad Sousa Impact Fund, bolstered by a $50,000 contribution from the company where the much-liked pro AV veteran was CTO.

The goal is to get the fund to $200K, and the foundation is now accepting donations, as well as applications for grants.

Sousa was the CTO of AVI Systems and served on the AVIXA Board of Directors. He passed away on Nov. 8, 2023, in Austin, Texas, while at a company event.

From PR:

The Brad Sousa Impact Fund was created to honor the profound legacy of the late Brad Sousa, Chief Technology Officer of AVI Systems and AVIXA Board of Directors member. Whether in the home or the workplace, Brad lived a life loving not just with words or speech but with actions and in truth. He was known to say, “Influence is the counterfeit of impact.”

He was committed to making a difference in all his pursuits, whether personal or professional.

The fund supports the AVIXA Foundation’s education and charitable work through impact investing and partnerships, focusing on developing audiovisual and digital transformation professionals and their understanding of each other’s overlapping needs. Through digital transformation, organizations and communities embed technologies across society to drive impact and fundamental change. In this spirit, the fund seeks to identify and empower digital transformation, contributing to a more equitable and sustainable future worldwide.

The Brad Sousa Impact Fund will invest in:

• People – in pursuit of educational and vocational outcomes.
• Programs – with social consciousness and purpose, impacting society/community/culture.
• Partnerships – that amplify missions of associations, community, and nonprofit organizations.

“AVI Systems is proud to make a $50,000 contribution to this fund and is calling on other industry leaders and individuals to support this program – to give what you are able,” said Jeff Stoebner, CEO of AVI Systems. “It’s important that we give back to causes that can make a direct and lasting impact. Our goal is to help the AVIXA Foundation easily exceed a fund target of over $200,000.”

Cristiano Mazza, CTS, Chairman of the AVIXA Foundation Board, shared, “The Brad Sousa Impact Fund is a megaphone for his lifelong passion: creating impact, not just influence. Brad believed in action, empowering the next generation to weave technology into society and driving real change. This fund carries that torch, fostering the digital transformation professionals who’ll build a more equitable, sustainable world. It’s an investment in Brad’s vision and legacy.”

“Brad did everything in his work and life with full commitment, passion, and intent. He touched so many lives around the world, and his loss has been profoundly felt,” said Sarah Joyce, Executive Director of the Foundation and Chief Global Officer of AVIXA. “Brad’s service on the Foundation Board was very important to him. He loved seeing the industry’s workforce evolving in real time – especially the diversity of scholarship applicants. He enjoyed reading what individuals were currently studying and their plans for the future. The Brad Sousa Impact Fund will allow the AVIXA Foundation to carry on his passion by supporting programs and people around the world.”

For more details on the Brad Sousa Impact Fund, including how to apply for a grant and donate to the fund, visit www.avixa.org/brad-sousa-impact-fund.