Dec.15, 2017—The Collision Repair Education Foundation announced that the application for its Ultimate Collision Education Makeover school grant is now available online for high school and postsecondary collision school programs.
The application deadline in Friday, June 1, 2018. Instructors are advised to begin the application early.
Industry professionals are also encouraged to get involved with the grant by working with their local school’s collision instructors to help them apply.
The winning schools will be announced during the SEMA show in Las Vegas, Nev. in October. Awards of up to $50,000 will be given.
“School collision programs are under tremendous budgetary pressure,” says Melissa Marscin, director of operations and administration for the Foundation. “The Makeover grant program is designed to help collision schools get the much needed tools, equipment and supplies they couldn’t get otherwise and increase their capabilities. Last year, 160 schools that applied received some level of support through both grants and in-kind donations.”
The Makeover grant program incorporates the Foundation’s “Collision School Career Readiness Benchmark” where schools are classified into three tiers:
- Tier 1: Advanced
- Tier 2: Proficient
- Tier 3: Developing
The designation is determined by the Foundation based upon information provided by schools about their capabilities that are detailed in the grant application.
The criteria for each level includes the number of hours of instruction, curriculum in place, along with what tools, equipment, and supplies a school uses to prepare their students for employment in the collision industry.
The grant application will allow a school to request a particular item, if one is need, to advance to the next level or tier. The organization’s Board of Trustees Selection Committee will select the winners of the awards and determine what items off the wish lists each school will receive.
Over $4 million in cash and in-kind donations have been given out to schools as a result of the grant and over 25,000 collision students have been impacted by the program.
