About US

The IFDA Educational Foundation's mission is to foster educational and philanthropic activities to enhance the furnishings and design industries.

View Our 2023 Annual Report

Background & History

Watch the IFDA 70th Anniversary video (above) put together by the New York Chapter 

as one of the 2017 Claire Coleman Founders Grant for Marketing & Communications recipients.

Charitable

Dedicated to the support and service of the home furnishings and design communities, IFDA Educational Foundation is a non-profit, tax exempt, 501c(3) organization, raising and distributing funds to foster educational activities, as well as, related charitable endeavors. Administered by a six member Board of Trustees, EF's primary funding sources include a portion of IFDA member dues as well as donations from chapters, individual members, industry and corporate friends. Contributions, gifts and bequests are deductible for Federal income and estate tax purposes.

IFDA Chapters play a major funding role through yearly donations, memorials and special events supporting EF. Several chapters have established Educational Foundation scholarships or grants in honor of IFDA leaders or in memory of dedicated members. These include: the IFDA Leaders Commemorative Scholarship; the Ruth Clark Scholarship for Furniture Design; Tricia LeVangie Green/Sustainable Design Scholarship; Barbara Beckmann Textile Design Scholarship, IFDA Philadelphia Scholarship; and the Vercille Voss Graduate Student Scholarship. Grants include: Barbara Brock Memorial Grant; Irma Dobkin Universal Design Grant; Ina Mae Kaplan Historic Preservation Grant; Elizabeth Brown Grant for Interior Design Programs; Valerie Moran Memorial Grant; and the Tony Torrice Professional Development Grant. The Educational Foundation also provides a New Chapter Development Grant.

Projects and Accomplishments

The Foundation is committed to providing educational opportunities on many levels. IFDA Eduational Foundation supports educational events at leading industry markets as well as design centers. The Foundation promotes educational programs in local areas through Chapter Partnership Grants and sponsors professionally led Schoenthal IFDA Leadership Forums at annual IFDA Conferences and DesignEDGE, a design industry summit. And, the Foundation awards a number of annual scholarships to talented students of all ages studying interior design areas, furniture design and marketing. The Foundation has also brought back the student design competition with a national IFDAEF Raymond Waites Design Competition Scholarship and the Cliff Young LTD Contemporary-Modern Furniture Student Design Competition.

The IFDA Educational Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees including: the Chair, Vice Chair, Immediate Past Chair/Advisor; Director of Grants, Director of Communications, Director of Resources and up to four Honorary Trustees. The Chair appoints standing non-voting committee chairpersons. The IFDA President serves as an ex-officio member of the Educational Foundation.

The Foundation seeks to achieve quality program support through development of gifts from IFDA members, IFDA chapters, and corporate donors. Gifts of cash, appreciated assets, estate gifts, and deferred gifts are also acceptable methods of support.

How to Support IFDAEF

Contributions may be made to IFDA-EF through personal or memorial donations or by will to foster and continue the work of the Foundation. Tax-deductible contributions are accepted throughout the year as well as with annual dues renewals. An IFDA member is automatically a member of the Educational Foundation. 

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