In 1999, the PMPA Board of Trustees established the PMPA Education Foundation to “ensure the future success of our industry by supporting educational research and related projects.”

The Foundation was funded by a very generous initial contribution. Today, total assets amount to more than $600,000. The Foundation Board sponsors a fund-raising golf outing at the PMPA Annual Meeting. The generous contributions of sponsors and players help increase funds available for training grants.

Every year, the Education Foundation Board sets aside limited funds for individual and company training activities. Based on the grant guidelines, the Foundation Board will consider requests for:

• Hands-on, shop-oriented, technical training on how to operate and set up precision machining equipment
• Schools and commercial institutions that provide training directly related to the precision machining industry
• Regional or PMPA District programs related to training
• Reimbursement of costs related to National Institute of Metalworking Skills (NIMS) certification
  

The first PMPA Education Foundation grants were awarded in December 2004. The Foundation has since paid out more than $40,000 in grants to companies, individuals, schools and organizations for:

• Acme toolsetting classes at the Lorain County Joint Vocational School
• Davenport Machine advanced operator setup training classes
• Basic machining and CNC classes
• New lathes and milling machines for a high school machine shop lab
• A new CNC lathe for an adult education training center
• A junior high school manufacturing careers awareness program
• Support of the Skills USA machine trades competition
  

For more information about grants, or to support the PMPA Education Foundation, please visit the Web site at www.pmpa-foundation.org.