Gavin was the first contributor and encouraged other AATCC members to also contribute. Hugh and Phil Patrick each made contributions due to Gavin’s example and encouragement. Gavin funded and established the Martin J. Bide Scholarship at the University of Rhode Island, and two graduate fellowships. These fellowships, the Grady, Hauser, Houser, Daniels Graduate Fellowship, and the Connelly-Perkins Graduate Fellowship, were established in honor of close friends and associates at AATCC who had graduated from North Carolina State University and Clemson University. The Grady, Hauser, Houser, Daniels Graduate Fellowship is for Ph.D. students studying at the Wilson College of Textiles at North Carolina State University, and the Connelly-Perkins Graduate Fellowship is for students studying at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Clemson University. Gavin has also supported the Kanti & Hansa Jasani Family Scholarship, which is available to Indian citizens studying at a university or college in the US. Kanti & Hansa Jasani are grateful of Gavin for his generosity in supporting the Kanti & Hansa Jasani Family Scholarship. Kanti Jasani was primarily inspired by what Gavin has done for AATCC and the AATCC Foundation, which is what prompted the establishment of the Jasani Family Scholarship soon after Kanti Jasani received the prestigious AATCC Chapin Award in 2014.
With its own Board of Directors, the Foundation operates independently in the furtherance of the charitable mission of AATCC. The members of the Board of Directors represent a broad cross-section of textile, retail, chemical industry experts, and other senior business leaders with interests in many different aspects of textile design, materials, processing, and testing. The Foundation operates from The AATCC Technical Center located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA. Because the influence and activities of the Association extend far beyond the borders of North America, the Foundation solicits funds worldwide.