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AHFA’S Furniture Foundation Announces 2016 Grants

Furniture World News Desk on 4/27/2016


The Furniture Foundation, an education fund established by the American Home Furnishings Alliance, has recently awarded 2016 grants to Appalachian State University, Boone, N.C., and Catawba Valley Community College Alexander Furniture Academy, Taylorsville, N.C.

The foundation was established in 1948 to support research and educational programs aimed at improving management, manufacturing and marketing within the home furnishings industry. Since 1990, the foundation has distributed more than $3.5 million in scholarships and grants.

The 2016 awards include $18,000 to ASU to continue the school’s scholarship program for furniture design students. The grant will fund six $3,000 scholarships for the 2016-2017 school year. ASU’s furniture design program is housed in the Department of Applied Design and provides students with a bachelor of science in industrial design focused on product development, creative problem-solving, environmental concerns and manufacturing requirements. Several past foundation scholarship recipients have gone on to work in product design and development within the furniture industry.

The foundation also has awarded $7,500 to the new CVCC Alexander Furniture Academy. The academy is modeled after the highly successful CVCC Furniture Academy launched at the school’s main campus in Hickory last year. The industry-driven training program was designed by local furniture manufacturers to prepare students for sewing operator and upholstery craftsmen positions that are in high demand by the region’s largest employers. The CVCC Furniture Academy in Hickory trains about 30 workers every 6 to 9 months, while the Alexander County program will graduate about 30 students every six weeks.

Tuition for the CVCC Alexander County training program is $250 per student per semester. The foundation grant allows scholarships to be awarded to 30 applicants to complete the training at no cost this year.
       

More about the AHFA: The American Home Furnishings Alliance, based in High Point, N.C., represents more than 200 leading furniture manufacturers and distributors, plus over 150 suppliers to the furniture industry worldwide. For more information, visit www.ahfa.us