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.
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.
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.
$290K
$8.8M
$573K
$801K
Most grants fall between $5K and $10K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$10K
About 62% of grants go to recipients in WA.
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Typical awards are modest: the p25, median, and p75 grant sizes are $5,000, $5,000, and $10,000. The recent grant list shows repeated $5,000 scholarships alongside larger project awards in the five-figure range, suggesting a mix of individual support and targeted program funding. The foundation is also active across multiple years; some scholarship recipients appear in 2023, 2024, and 2025, which points to recurring support rather than one-off giving. It is structured as a grantmaking foundation with programs that accept unsolicited applications, and it also funds individuals.
The foundation gives regionally, with all recent grants landing in the US. Virginia is its most frequent recipient state, accounting for 62% of grants, but the grant list also reaches Arizona, Texas, South Carolina, Washington, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Ohio, and Colorado. Recipient cities include Herndon, Chandler, Houston, Clemson, State College, Raleigh, Bowling Green, Anderson, and Longmont. The pattern is concentrated in domestic education, research, and industry-support institutions rather than international sites.
It funds programs that support education and research advancing the concrete masonry and hardscape industry and the public interest. Recent grants went to universities, the Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association, and The Masonry Society, alongside scholarships for individual students.
Yes. The grant list includes multiple scholarships to named students, including Devon Golden, Chanel Vinet, Tyler Kleinsasser, and Jaiden Shea. Those awards are part of the foundation’s scholarship activity in architecture and engineering-related fields.
The typical grant size is $5,000, with a p75 of $10,000. Recent awards also include larger project grants such as $22,898, $21,000, and $20,000 for research, standards, and education projects.
Its focus areas include education, research, scholarships, workforce development, and student design competitions. Recent grants show support for code adoption research, design manuals, installer training, curriculum integration, and student competitions.
Some support recurs across years. Several scholarship recipients appear in more than one year, including Chanel Vinet, Tyler Kleinsasser, Jaiden Shea, Meaghan Booth, and Devon Golden, which indicates repeated scholarship support rather than a single award.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association | Herndon, VA | $11,100 | 2025 | 2024.007 - Updating the Design Manual for Segmental Retaining Walls |
| The Masonry Society | Longmont, CO | $7,500 | 2025 | 2024.022 - Masonry Student Bridge Competition |
| Chanel Vinet | Herndon, VA | $5,000 | 2025 | John & Marlene Heslip Architecture Student Scholarship |
| Meaghan Booth | Herndon, VA | $5,000 | 2025 | John & Marlene Heslip Architecture Student Scholarship |
| Tyler Kleinsasser | Herndon, VA | $5,000 | 2025 | Paul and Helen Lenchuk Engineering Student Scholarship Program |
| Devon Golden | Herndon, VA | $5,000 | 2025 | Paul and Helen Lenchuk Engineering Student Scholarship Program |
| Jaiden Shea | Herndon, VA | $5,000 | 2025 | John & Marlene Heslip Architecture Student Scholarship |
| Northwest Concrete Masonry Association | Mill Creek, WA | $4,000 | 2025 | 2024.004 - Masonry Design Course at Boise State University |
| Bowling Green State University | Bowling Green, OH | $2,000 | 2025 | 2024.013 - BGSU Architecture Student Design Competition |
| Masonry Institute of St Louis | St Louis, MO | $1,925 | 2025 | 2024.015 - Masonry Design CE-44 at Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville |
| Arizona Masonry Council | Chandler, AZ | $21,000 | 2024 | AMC Southwest Guide to Masonry |
| Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association | Herndon, VA | $12,500 | 2024 | Coltivomae Developing Dry-Stack Design Standard |
| Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association | Herndon, VA | $12,500 | 2024 | CMHA Hardscape Installer Workforce Development |
| Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association | Herndon, VA | $10,000 | 2024 | Bennett/Thompson Developing High Wind Design Standard |
| Bowling Green State University | Bowling Green, OH | $5,500 | 2024 | Architecture Student Design Competition Project Investigator: Andreas Luescher, Bowling Green State University |
| Jaiden Shea | Herndon, VA | $5,000 | 2024 | John & Marlene Heslip Architecture Student Scholarship |
| Tyler Kleinsasser | Herndon, VA | $5,000 | 2024 | Paul and Helen Lenchuk Engineering Student Scholarship Program |
| Chanel Vinet | Herndon, VA | $5,000 | 2024 | John & Marlene Heslip Architecture Student Scholarship |
| Meaghan Booth | Herndon, VA | $5,000 | 2024 | John & Marlene Heslip Architecture Student Scholarship |
| Devon Golden | Herndon, VA | $5,000 | 2024 | Paul and Helen Lenchuk Engineering Student Scholarship Program |
| Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association | Herndon, VA | $4,905 | 2024 | CMHA CO2 Sequestration Phase 1 Extension |
| North Carolina Masonry Contractors Association | Mt Pleasant, NC | $3,875 | 2024 | Federal Department of Labor Masonry Youth Apprenticeship |
| Middle Tennessee State University | Murfreesboro, TN | $2,000 | 2024 | MTSU Concrete Industry Management Scholarship |
| Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association fka ICPI-NCMA | Herndon, VA | $22,898 | 2023 | Housing of a Concrete Masonry Design Center Summit |
| University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering | Houston, TX | $20,000 | 2023 | Creating a Roadmap to Code Adoption of High Strength Steel in Concrete Masonry Phase 1 |
| Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association fka ICPI-NCMA | Herndon, VA | $20,000 | 2023 | Industry Average EPD Development |
| Clemson University School of Architecture | Clemson, SC | $15,000 | 2023 | Functionality Enfancements for the Masonry Assembly Thernal Stimulation Software (MATSS) |
| Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association fka ICPI-NCMA | Herndon, VA | $12,500 | 2023 | SRW Installer Workforce Development Competition |
| Penn State University | State College, PA | $9,013 | 2023 | Penn State University (PSU) Architecture Student Design Competition |
| North Carolina State University School of Architecture | Raleigh, NC | $8,300 | 2023 | Year 2: Integrating CMU into Architectural Design Studio Curriculum |
| Bowling Green University | Bowling Green, OH | $5,500 | 2023 | Architecture Student Design Competition |
| Mackenzie Zabel | Herndon, VA | $5,000 | 2023 | Paul and Helen Lenchuk Engineering Student Scholarship |
| Cooper Banks | Herndon, VA | $5,000 | 2023 | Paul and Helen Lenchuk Engineering Student Scholarship |
| Kyuin Shin | Herndon, VA | $5,000 | 2023 | Paul and Helen Lenchuk Engineering Student Scholarship |
| Laura Hedrick | Herndon, VA | $5,000 | 2023 | John and Marlene Heslip Architecture Student Scholarship |
| National Brick Research Center Clemson University | Anderson, SC | $5,000 | 2023 | Design and Implementation of Lime and Point Loads for SRWs using the SRW Design Manual (2009) Approach |
| Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association fka ICPI-NCMA | Herndon, VA | $3,000 | 2023 | SRW Building Information Modeling |
Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association
$11,1002024.007 - Updating the Design Manual for Segmental Retaining Walls
The Masonry Society
$7,5002024.022 - Masonry Student Bridge Competition
Chanel Vinet
$5,000John & Marlene Heslip Architecture Student Scholarship
Meaghan Booth
$5,000John & Marlene Heslip Architecture Student Scholarship
Tyler Kleinsasser
$5,000Paul and Helen Lenchuk Engineering Student Scholarship Program
Devon Golden
$5,000Paul and Helen Lenchuk Engineering Student Scholarship Program
Jaiden Shea
$5,000John & Marlene Heslip Architecture Student Scholarship
Northwest Concrete Masonry Association
$4,0002024.004 - Masonry Design Course at Boise State University
Bowling Green State University
$2,0002024.013 - BGSU Architecture Student Design Competition
Masonry Institute of St Louis
$1,9252024.015 - Masonry Design CE-44 at Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville
Arizona Masonry Council
$21,000AMC Southwest Guide to Masonry
Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association
$12,500Coltivomae Developing Dry-Stack Design Standard
Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association
$12,500CMHA Hardscape Installer Workforce Development
Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association
$10,000Bennett/Thompson Developing High Wind Design Standard
Bowling Green State University
$5,500Architecture Student Design Competition Project Investigator: Andreas Luescher, Bowling Green State University
Jaiden Shea
$5,000John & Marlene Heslip Architecture Student Scholarship
Tyler Kleinsasser
$5,000Paul and Helen Lenchuk Engineering Student Scholarship Program
Chanel Vinet
$5,000John & Marlene Heslip Architecture Student Scholarship
Meaghan Booth
$5,000John & Marlene Heslip Architecture Student Scholarship
Devon Golden
$5,000Paul and Helen Lenchuk Engineering Student Scholarship Program
Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association
$4,905CMHA CO2 Sequestration Phase 1 Extension
North Carolina Masonry Contractors Association
$3,875Federal Department of Labor Masonry Youth Apprenticeship
Middle Tennessee State University
$2,000MTSU Concrete Industry Management Scholarship
Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association fka ICPI-NCMA
$22,898Housing of a Concrete Masonry Design Center Summit
University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering
$20,000Creating a Roadmap to Code Adoption of High Strength Steel in Concrete Masonry Phase 1
Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association fka ICPI-NCMA
$20,000Industry Average EPD Development
Clemson University School of Architecture
$15,000Functionality Enfancements for the Masonry Assembly Thernal Stimulation Software (MATSS)
Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association fka ICPI-NCMA
$12,500SRW Installer Workforce Development Competition
Penn State University
$9,013Penn State University (PSU) Architecture Student Design Competition
North Carolina State University School of Architecture
$8,300Year 2: Integrating CMU into Architectural Design Studio Curriculum
Bowling Green University
$5,500Architecture Student Design Competition
Mackenzie Zabel
$5,000Paul and Helen Lenchuk Engineering Student Scholarship
Cooper Banks
$5,000Paul and Helen Lenchuk Engineering Student Scholarship
Kyuin Shin
$5,000Paul and Helen Lenchuk Engineering Student Scholarship
Laura Hedrick
$5,000John and Marlene Heslip Architecture Student Scholarship
National Brick Research Center Clemson University
$5,000Design and Implementation of Lime and Point Loads for SRWs using the SRW Design Manual (2009) Approach
Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association fka ICPI-NCMA
$3,000SRW Building Information Modeling