About Ncma Education Research Foundation
The mission of the NCMA Education and Research Foundation is to advance and support the concrete masonry and hardscape industry and the public interest through research and educational programs designed to meet the future needs of the industry.
Focus Areas
EducationResearchScholarshipsWorkforce developmentStudent design competitions
Who They Fund
architecture studentsengineering studentsmasonry and SRW installers/hardscape contractorsindustry professionals and manufacturersuniversity programs and facultyyouth apprentices in masonry
Funding Style
education & scholarships
About Ncma Education Research Foundation
The NCMA Education Research Foundation’s recent giving is anchored by technical work that moves concrete masonry and hardscape practice toward adopted standards and industry tools. One of its largest grants supported the University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering for "Creating a Roadmap to Code Adoption of High Strength Steel in Concrete Masonry Phase 1," while another funded the Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association for "Industry Average EPD Development." Those awards show a funder that backs research tied to code, product transparency, and design practice rather than general philanthropy. Education is another clear thread. The foundation has funded architecture and engineering student scholarships, student design competitions, and curriculum integration projects for university programs. It also supports workforce development for installers and contractors, including grants for hardscape installer training and segmental retaining wall competition work. Several awards go to association partners and university programs that translate research into manuals, software enhancements, and design guidance used by practitioners. Across the recent grants list, the foundation appears to fund both institutional projects and individual students, with recurring support for some scholarship recipients over multiple years.
What Ncma Education Research Foundation Funds
Technical standards and design guidance are a major part of the foundation’s grantmaking. It awarded $10,000 to Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association for "Bennett/Thompson Developing High Wind Design Standard," and $11,100 to the same organization for "2024.007 - Updating the Design Manual for Segmental Retaining Walls." Another standards-related grant went to the National Brick Research Center Clemson University for "Design and Implementation of Lime and Point Loads for SRWs using the SRW Design Manual (2009) Approach." Education and curriculum development also receive sustained support. North Carolina State University School of Architecture received $8,300 for "Year 2: Integrating CMU into Architectural Design Studio Curriculum," and Clemson University School of Architecture received $15,000 for "Functionality Enfancements for the Masonry Assembly Thernal Stimulation Software (MATSS)." Student learning is further reinforced through competition grants, including $9,013 to Penn State University for an architecture student design competition and $7,500 to The Masonry Society for a masonry student bridge competition.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$290K
Total Assets
$8.8M
Total Revenue
$573K
Total Expenses
$801K
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $5K and $10K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$10K
Geographic Reach
Regional11 states funded
About 62% of grants go to recipients in WA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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