The AWI Education Foundation Receives $2 Million for Architectural Woodwork Scholarships & Institutional Grants

Potomac Falls, VA — The Architectural Woodwork Institute Education Foundation (AWIEF) recently received a donation of $2 million from the Quality Certification Corporation with $1 million designated for Randolph Estabrook Educational Scholarships for individuals and $1 million earmarked for grants of accredited secondary and post-secondary architectural woodwork programs.

The donation was made to the AWIEF on the occasion of the retirement of Randolph Estabrook as the long-standing Executive Director of the AWI Quality Certification Corporation.

According to the terms of the donation to AWIEF, each year the Education Foundation will award approximately $50,000 for legacy Randolph Estabrook Scholarships and distribute $100,000 in grants in support of eligible architectural woodwork academic programs. The grant program is an exciting new endeavor for the AWI Education Foundation.

“This generous donation allows AWIEF to reach out to a greater number of education institutions in support of their architectural woodwork programs and also enables the Education Foundation to provide more scholarships to qualified students,” says AWIEF President Kent Gilchrist. Presently, AWIEF awards scholarships to eligible students who aspire to careers in the architectural woodwork industry as recommended by faculty of secondary and post-secondary institutions.

Former AWIEF President Robert Stout of RLS Commercial Interiors adds, “We hope to entice schools to apply for grants to strengthen their woodworking programs in order to support a future workforce that meets the needs of the architectural woodwork industry.”  Secondary schools in particular are in need of infrastructure, software, equipment, and a myriad of other components to buttress their woodshop programs. Retired Pennsylvania College of Technology Assistant Professor and AWIEF Vice President William Geyer confirmed that “institutions are budget-strapped to enhance their architectural woodwork programs.”

Over the next several months, the seven-member AWIEF Board of Directors will meet periodically to identify eligibility criteria and devise an application process for academic grants.