The Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) announced that the application for their Ultimate Collision Education Makeover school grant is now available for high school and post-secondary collision school programs to apply. The Makeover grant program is in its eighth year. Instructors are advised to begin the application early and industry professionals are encouraged to get involved with the Makeover grant by working with their local school’s collision instructors to help them apply. The winning schools will be announced during SEMA 2016, and awards of up to $50,000 will be given.
The Ultimate Collision Education Makeover school grant application is available online and is due by June 3rd. Industry members are encouraged to work with their local collision school programs to ensure they apply by the deadline.
“We know from our past surveys that very few collision programs are seeing their budget increased, with many decreasing instead,” said Melissa Marscin, director of Grant Programs for the Foundation. “The Makeover grant is intended to bridge the budget gap and help collision schools get the much needed tools, equipment and supplies they couldn’t get otherwise. Plus, as an added bonus, schools that apply the earliest are first in line for in-kind product donations, training and other opportunities that come along throughout the year. Only about 15 percent of collision schools apply each year, and we hope to increase that number as more and more schools are in need of help.”
As part of the Makeover grant application, schools provide their own, itemized wish list of items to help prepare their students for entry-level employment. The organization’s Board of Trustees Selection Committee will select the winners of the awards and determine what items off the wish lists each school will receive.
The goal of the Ultimate Collision Education Makeover grant is to honor schools that have been doing an outstanding job in educating students in collision repair, but need some financial assistance to improve their program’s teaching materials and equipment. With strained school budgets, the Education Foundation and industry supporters have the opportunity to bridge the program’s financial gap and to make a difference in the lives of the students studying collision repair.
Industry members interested in getting involved with the Foundation and joining its efforts to support the future of the collision industry, can contact Foundation Director of Development Brandon Eckenrode at (847) 463-5244 or [email protected].
