Advance licensure for engineers and surveyors in order to safeguard the health, safety, and welfare of the public.
The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying uses its grantmaking to advance licensure for engineers and surveyors, linking funding to public health, safety, and welfare. Its recent activity shows a mix of large general support, sponsorships, and education-focused awards, with the 2025 general-support grant to its own foundation account at $7,056,702 setting the scale for the year. Alongside that, the council backed the American Society of Civil Engineers with a $500,000 sponsorship in 2025 and the American Society for Engineering Education with a $225,000 sponsorship in 2024, signaling support for professional and academic organizations tied to licensure and education. The foundation also uses awards to recognize programs that align with its licensure mission. Grants to universities and education programs appear across engineering and surveying, including recurring support for institutions such as Idaho State University, Ferris State University, and New Mexico State University through surveying education awards. That pattern suggests a portfolio that combines institution-level recognition with broader field-building support for licensure pathways, student preparation, and professional practice.
Engineering and surveying education are the clearest programmatic themes. In 2025, the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying gave $35,000 to the University of Wisconsin-Madison for an engineering education award, and it made additional engineering education awards to Marquette University and Arizona State University. Surveying education is equally prominent. The council awarded $25,000 to Idaho State University in 2025 for a surveying education award, while Florida Atlantic University received $15,000 for the same category in both 2023 and 2025. New Mexico State University and the University of Maine Foundation also appeared repeatedly in surveying education awards. The council also supports outreach and licensure-related collaboration. Its funding program descriptions include K-12 outreach, student outcomes, and collaboration between education programs and licensed professionals, showing that awards are not limited to classroom instruction alone.
$3.4M
$107.9M
$45.7M
$41.2M
Most grants fall between $10K and $16K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$16K
About 4% of grants go to recipients in MI.
E DAVY MCDOWELL
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Typical award size clusters tightly around $10,000, with a median of $10,000 and a 75th percentile of $16,250. The top of the recent-grant list is much larger because it includes general support and sponsorships, not only program awards. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Idaho State University, Ferris State University, Florida Atlantic University, New Mexico State University, and the University of Maine Foundation, which points to recurring relationships rather than one-off gifts. The council’s active programs are all listed as accepting unsolicited applications or entries, including an online entry form for some award competitions and letters of inquiry in the 2025–26 funding cycle.
Giving is national and entirely U.S.-based in the recent-grant sample, with 48 grants to U.S. recipients. Nebraska stands out as the top state by grant count, even though the headquarters is in Greenville, South Carolina, where 4% of grants went. Recent recipients are spread across the country, including Omaha, Lincoln, Seattle, Madison, and Boca Raton. The concentration in university cities reflects the council’s focus on engineering and surveying education programs.
It funds professional associations, universities, and education programs connected to engineering and surveying licensure. Recent grants include sponsorships to the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Society for Engineering Education, plus awards to institutions such as the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Idaho State University.
Yes. Several organizations appear more than once in the recent grants list, including Idaho State University, Ferris State University, Florida Atlantic University, New Mexico State University, and the University of Maine Foundation. That suggests repeated awards over multiple years rather than isolated gifts.
The typical grant is $10,000. The grant-size distribution shows a p25 of $10,000, a median of $10,000, and a p75 of $16,250, which indicates that many awards cluster around the same level.
The foundation’s active programs accept unsolicited applications. The 2025–26 funding cycle uses letters of inquiry, and the surveying and engineering education award programs use online entry forms for eligible programs and competitions.
Engineering licensure, surveying licensure, education, outreach, and awards for educational programs are the main themes. The program descriptions also point to K-12 outreach, student outcomes, curriculum strength, and collaboration between education programs and licensed professionals.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCEES Foundation | GREENVILLE, SC | $3,139,582 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| University of Nebraska-Lincoln | OMAHA, NE | $25,000 | 2026 | Engineering Education Award |
| Engineering Change Lab | OMAHA, NE | $25,000 | 2026 | Sponsorship |
| Northwestern Michigan College Foundation | TRAVERSE CITY, MI | $25,000 | 2026 | Surveying Education Award |
| Pennsylvania State University | UNIVERSITY PARK, PA | $25,000 | 2026 | Surveying Education Award |
| University of Akron | AKRON, OH | $15,000 | 2026 | Surveying Education Award |
| New Mexico State University Foundation | LAS CRUCES, NM | $15,000 | 2026 | Surveying Education Award |
| Dartmouth College | HANOVER, NH | $10,000 | 2026 | Engineering Education Award |
| Miami University Dept of Chemical Paper & Biomedical Engineering | OXFORD, OH | $10,000 | 2026 | Engineering Education Award |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison | MADISON, WI | $10,000 | 2026 | Engineering Education Award |
| Lawrence Technological University | SOUTHFIELD, MI | $10,000 | 2026 | Engineering Education Award |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology | NEWARK, NJ | $10,000 | 2026 | Surveying Education Award |
| Olivet Nazarene University | BOURBONNAIS, IL | $10,000 | 2026 | Engineering Education Award |
| University of Wyoming | LARAMIE, WY | $10,000 | 2026 | Surveying Education Award |
| Nicholls State University Foundation Inc | THIBODAUX, LA | $10,000 | 2026 | Surveying Education Award |
| University of Arizona | TUCSON, AZ | $10,000 | 2026 | Engineering Education Award |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison | MADISON, WI | $10,000 | 2026 | Engineering Education Award |
| NCEES FOUNDATION | GREENVILLE, SC | $7,056,702 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS | AUBURN, AL | $500,000 | 2025 | SPONSORSHIP |
| UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON | MADISON, WI | $35,000 | 2025 | ENGINEERING EDUCATION AWARD |
| IDAHO STATE UNIVERSITY | POCATELLO, ID | $25,000 | 2025 | SURVEYING EDUCATION AWARD |
| FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY | BOCA RATON, FL | $15,000 | 2025 | SURVEYING EDUCATION AWARD |
| NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY | LAS CRUCES, NM | $15,000 | 2025 | SURVEYING EDUCATION AWARD |
| FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY | BIG RAPIDS, MI | $15,000 | 2025 | SURVEYING EDUCATION AWARD |
| NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY | NEWARK, NJ | $10,000 | 2025 | SURVEYING EDUCATION AWARD |
| UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN | LINCOLN, NE | $10,000 | 2025 | ENGINEERING EDUCATION AWARD |
| ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY | TEMPE, AZ | $10,000 | 2025 | ENGINEERING EDUCATION AWARD |
| TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE | HANOVER, NH | $10,000 | 2025 | ENGINEERING EDUCATION AWARD |
| UNIVERSITY OF MAINE FOUNDATION | ORONO, ME | $10,000 | 2025 | SURVEYING EDUCATION AWARD |
| GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC | FAIRFAX, VA | $10,000 | 2025 | SURVEYING EDUCATION AWARD |
| LAWRENCE TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY | SOUTHFIELD, MI | $10,000 | 2025 | ENGINEERING EDUCATION AWARD |
| SEATTLE UNIVERSITY DEPT OF CIVIL & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING | SEATTLE, WA | $10,000 | 2025 | ENGINEERING EDUCATION AWARD |
| TROY UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF GEOSPATIAL INFORMATICS | TROY, AL | $10,000 | 2025 | SURVEYING EDUCATION AWARD |
| AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR ENGINEERING EDUCATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $225,000 | 2024 | SPONSORSHIP |
| ENGINEERING CHANGE LAB | OMAHA, NE | $50,000 | 2024 | SPONSORSHIP |
| OREGON INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY | KLAMATH FALLS, OR | $25,000 | 2024 | SURVEYING EDUCATION AWARD |
| MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY | MILWAUKEE, WI | $25,000 | 2024 | ENGINEERING EDUCATION AWARD |
| UNIVERSITY OF MAINE FOUNDATION | ORONO, ME | $15,000 | 2024 | SURVEYING EDUCATION AWARD |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON FOUNDATION | AKRON, OH | $15,000 | 2024 | SURVEYING EDUCATION AWARD |
| FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY | BIG RAPIDS, MI | $15,000 | 2024 | SURVEYING EDUCATION AWARD |
| ALFRED STATE COLLEGE DEVELOPMENT FUND INC | ALFRED, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | SURVEYING EDUCATION AWARD |
| SEATTLE UNIVERSITY DEPT OF CIVIL & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING | SEATTLE, WA | $10,000 | 2024 | ENGINEERING EDUCATION AWARD |
| TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE | HANOVER, NH | $10,000 | 2024 | ENGINEERING EDUCATION AWARD |
| NICHOLLS STATE UNIVERSITY GEOMATICS PROGRAM | THIBODAUX, LA | $10,000 | 2024 | SURVEYING EDUCATION AWARD |
| KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY | MANHATTAN, KS | $10,000 | 2024 | ENGINEERING EDUCATION AWARD |
| EAST TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION | JOHNSON CITY, TN | $10,000 | 2024 | SURVEYING EDUCATION AWARD |
| LAWRENCE TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY | SOUTHFIELD, MI | $10,000 | 2024 | ENGINEERING EDUCATION AWARD |
| UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON | MADISON, WI | $10,000 | 2024 | ENGINEERING EDUCATION AWARD |
| UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE | NEWARK, DE | $10,000 | 2024 | ENGINEERING EDUCATION AWARD |
| OLIVET NAZARENE UNIVERSITY | BOURBONNAIS, IL | $10,000 | 2024 | ENGINEERING EDUCATION AWARD |
NCEES Foundation
$3,139,582GENERAL SUPPORT
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
$25,000Engineering Education Award
Engineering Change Lab
$25,000Sponsorship
Pennsylvania State University
$25,000Surveying Education Award
Surveying Education Award
Miami University Dept of Chemical Paper & Biomedical Engineering
$10,000Engineering Education Award
University of Wisconsin-Madison
$10,000Engineering Education Award
New Jersey Institute of Technology
$10,000Surveying Education Award
Olivet Nazarene University
$10,000Engineering Education Award
University of Wyoming
$10,000Surveying Education Award
University of Arizona
$10,000Engineering Education Award
University of Wisconsin-Madison
$10,000Engineering Education Award
NCEES FOUNDATION
$7,056,702GENERAL SUPPORT
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS
$500,000SPONSORSHIP
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
$35,000ENGINEERING EDUCATION AWARD
IDAHO STATE UNIVERSITY
$25,000SURVEYING EDUCATION AWARD
NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY
$15,000SURVEYING EDUCATION AWARD
FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY
$15,000SURVEYING EDUCATION AWARD
NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
$10,000SURVEYING EDUCATION AWARD
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN
$10,000ENGINEERING EDUCATION AWARD
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
$10,000ENGINEERING EDUCATION AWARD
ENGINEERING EDUCATION AWARD
TROY UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF GEOSPATIAL INFORMATICS
$10,000SURVEYING EDUCATION AWARD
AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR ENGINEERING EDUCATION
$225,000SPONSORSHIP
ENGINEERING CHANGE LAB
$50,000SPONSORSHIP
OREGON INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
$25,000SURVEYING EDUCATION AWARD
FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY
$15,000SURVEYING EDUCATION AWARD
ENGINEERING EDUCATION AWARD
NICHOLLS STATE UNIVERSITY GEOMATICS PROGRAM
$10,000SURVEYING EDUCATION AWARD
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
$10,000ENGINEERING EDUCATION AWARD
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
$10,000ENGINEERING EDUCATION AWARD
OLIVET NAZARENE UNIVERSITY
$10,000ENGINEERING EDUCATION AWARD