Endowment Awards 10 Associations Matching Funds

The National Housing Endowment, the philanthropic arm of NAHB, has awarded nearly $28,000 to 10 local home builders associations through the Challenge/Build/Grow matching funds initiative.

Since the program was launched in 2001, more than $95,000 has been awarded to associations to support local initiatives ranging from education, land use and labor shortage/worker training and to help build and grow new partnerships at the state and local level.

The following are the latest recipients of the Challenge/Build/Grow grants:

Student Training and Career Opportunities Awareness Programs

• Brown County Home Builders Association, "DePere Construction Build a House Program"
  Green Bay, Wis.
  Brown County was awarded $3,000 for the collaboration of West DePere High School, Northeast Wisconsin Technical Institute and NAHB member Hillcrest Homes to train Wisconsin students and build their interest in career opportunities in residential construction.
  
  
• Master Builders Association of King & Snohomish, "Working Toward Your Future Program"
  Bellevue, Wash.
  The MBA of King & Snohomish Counties was awarded $3,000 for its program to facilitate design competitions at high schools utilizing the NAHB’s “Building Homes of Our Own.”
  
  
• Home Builders Association of Connecticut, "Connecticut Construction Career Days"
  West Hartford, Conn.
  The association's program was awarded $2,000 to highlight career opportunities for students at the state-run Connecticut Construction Career Days, which attract high school instructors, guidance counselors and 1,200 high schools students statewide.
  
  
• Northeast Florida Builders Association, "High School Construction Awareness Trip"
  Jacksonville, Fla.
  Northeast Florida BA was awarded $3,000 for a trip for area students, mayors, school superintendents, city counselors, city councils and school board members to highlight the opportunities for careers in the construction industry.
  
  
• Southern Tier Home Builders and Remodelers Association, "Learning for Life Program"
  Endwell, N.Y.
  This five-week in-school education initiative was awarded $1,626 to encourage interest in the housing industry and identify career opportunities for students in New York State.
  
  
• Home Builders Association of Sioux Empire, "Tools & Interns in the Industry Program"
  Sioux Falls, S.D.
  The program was awarded $3,000 to provide tools and internship opportunities to South Dakota high school students and promote careers in residential construction.
  
  
• Building Industry Association of Lancaster County, "Science, Technology and Economics of Building Green"
  Lancaster, Penn.
  The BIA of Lancaster County program received $3,000 to encourage innovation in building technology and job preparedness while promoting the housing industry to students in Pennsylvania.

Worker Training and Recruitment Programs

• Home Builders Association of Northern Kentucky, "Pre-Apprenticeship Minority and At-Risk Population Program in Electricity"
  Fort Mitchell, Ky.
  The program received $1,000 for an entry-level introduction to the electrical trade for minority populations in Kentucky.
  
  
• Builders Association of North Central Florida, "Partnership in Recruiting Program"
  Gainesville, Fla.
  A collaboration with the School Board of Alachua County and Santa Fe Community College, the program was awarded $3,000 to address local labor shortages, and to train and recruit high school dropouts and graduates of apprenticeship programs.

Land Use Education Programs

• Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City, "Housing Choices Coalition"
  Kansas City, Mo.
  The coalition received $5,000 for a six-phase initiative addressing housing demographic changes to help educate the general public and elected officials of Greater Kansas City on land use issues.

“Building homes for the nation is too important a priority to neglect the education and training that will be needed to support the residential construction industry,” said Gary Garczynski, endowment chairman and 2002 NAHB president. “Through the Challenge/Build/Grow Matching Grant Initiative as well as other grants, the endowment is answering the call by meeting the industry's long-term challenges with bold thinking and action.”

Open to state and local associations, the Challenge/Build/Grow program offers up to $5,000 in matching funds for projects targeting issues of importance to the housing industry.

For more information about grant opportunities, or to download funding guidelines, visit www.nationalhousingendowment.org.

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