Increased industry support this year funded more scholarships, met donation milestones

The Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) has also announced that so far this year, 163 future collision industry professionals have benefitted from CREF’s annual Student Scholarship program, adding up to over $275,000 in tuition assistance and tools.

“CREF’s ability to support a greater number of students in 2025 is directly correlated to the growing amount of industry engagement as more organizations recognize the value of investing in the future generation, but it also results from CREF’s ongoing efforts to engage schools, instructors, and students, raising awareness of this opportunity,” a CREF press release states. “Thanks to its work to alter the public’s perception of the industry and its activities to interact with the next generation, the Foundation saw a 46% increase in 2025 Student Scholarship applications compared to last year!”

Alexandra Snodgrass, a scholarship recipient and student at Lincoln College of Technology in Nashville, Tennessee, said the assistance will mean she won’t have a lot of student loan debt.

“This means a lot to me because it means I can use my earnings on tools to help further my career,” she said. “I am very thankful for this award.”

Another recipient, Jeret Ankrum, who attends Southeast Technical College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, said the scholarship will help him afford the tools and training he needs to stay focused and keep advancing in his collision repair career.

Addison Zick, a student at Pennsylvania College of Technology, said the money will make a large impact on her education and career.

“It means a lot to me that I was selected, as this is a field that I have been interested in for a while, and now I can learn about it with less of a burden looming overhead,” she said. “Instead, I can solely focus on doing my best to learn and grow.”

Angel Nungaray, a student at Lincoln College of Technology in Denver, Colorado, said the money means more to him than just paying for his education.

“Not only does it help cover the costs of tools and training I need to keep advancing in the collision repair field, but it also gives me a sense of support,” he said. “This assistance will allow me to focus more on my studies and hands-on training without worrying as much about the financial strain. My ultimate goal is to become a certified collision repair technician and eventually become a collision estimator in this industry. Knowing that CREF supports students like me reminds me why I chose this path. I want to be part of an industry that builds people up and gives back.”

CREF’s 2025 Student Scholarships accounted for $181,900 of the funds distributed to collision students, while nearly $50,000 in tools were distributed via in-kind donations made to the foundation to provide students with high-quality tools as they begin to build their toolboxes.

“CREF is honored to recognize these outstanding students through the 2025 scholarships and tool grants,” said Melissa Marscin, CREF’s director of operations and impact, in the release. “These students are truly committed to pursuing their education and in becoming part of the collision industry, and we hope these awards help to contribute to their successful careers.”

This year’s scholarship recipients demonstrate a shift in demographics and growth in diversity, with over 70% of the students receiving a scholarship being women and other minorities, according to the release.

More than 42% of the recipients are female, and 46% self-reported a race other than Caucasian. Just over a quarter of the students who received support in 2025 listed their race as Hispanic or Latino.

“The diversity seen among this year’s applicants can partially be attributed to the foundation’s collaboration with WIN [Women’s Industry Network], but CREF is excited to see how this shift demonstrates a growing interest in this field among young women and other underserved populations, who bring new perspectives that promise to strengthen the industry,” the release says.

This year, WIN awarded $34,500 in scholarships, plus an additional $10,000 worth of tool kits to 40 young women pursuing collision careers. This was the second year that WIN partnered with CREF to administer its scholarship program and expand its reach.

State Farm also supported CREF’s efforts to aid students in their studies with a donation of $40,000 toward student scholarships, which was split between 17 students.

PPG and the PPG Foundation donated $37,000 in scholarships, which was distributed among 13 students.

Five exemplary students were selected as the recipients of this year’s Adelmann Family Scholarships, the release says. Each winner will receive funding for tuition and/or education loans.

Other donation-funded scholarships included:

• • Ten funded by Hertz, totaling $16,000;
  • Four funded by LKQ’s donation of $10,000;
  • Five funded by the OEM Roundtable with $10,000;
  • Three funded by $3,000 from BASF;
  • Three funded by CCC’s $9,000 donation;
  • Four funded by a $3,500 donation from Global Finishing Solutions (GFS);
  • One funded by a $2,000 donation from Erie Insurance;
  • Two funded by $2,000 from the CREF Board of Trustees;
  • One funded by $2,000 from Fix Auto USA;
  • Two $1,000 Lon Baudoux Memorial Scholarships;
  • One $2,000 Jeff Silver Memorial Scholarship; and
  • One $1,000 Sulkala Family Scholarship.

Baudoux, I-CAR’s former development manager, passed away in 2008. The annual scholarships to honor him are funded primarily by I-CAR staff and instructors who worked with Baudoux, in recognition of the importance he placed on collision repair students receiving a proper education. Recipients are selected based on academic excellence, as well as participation in outside activities, such as sports, clubs, and volunteer work.

The annual Jeff Silver Memorial Scholarship, established in December 2022, honors the memory and long-lasting legacy of Jeff Silver, a respected trailblazer and leader in industry repair standards. Due to Silver’s love for the collision industry and dedication to ensuring that the next generation would enjoy the same opportunities within the field, his family believes the “Jeff Silver Memorial Scholarship,” designed to help remove financial barriers for students studying collision repair, is the perfect way to continue the legacy he left behind.

Administered by the foundation, the Sulkala Family Scholarship was created to honor the 50-year career and legacy of Chuck Sulkala, founder and former executive director of the National Auto Body Council (NABC), who retired in 2018.

Additionally, 160 students received tools through generous in-kind donations from Craftsman, DeVilbiss, and FujiSpray. Craftsman’s donation, valued at $17,400, benefitted 116 students, while DeVilbiss donated over $27,000 worth of spray guns to 36 future refinish professionals. FujiSpray selected 10 winners who each received a $500 spray gun.

The full list of scholarship recipients is available here.

TechForce Foundation also shared that it has met a major milestone by awarding $1 million in student scholarships in June. It called the achievement “particularly remarkable” since, just a few years ago, the same amount was awarded over an entire year.

“This transformation from $1 million annually to $1 million in a single month shows the incredible growth and momentum of TechForce’s ability to fundraise and positively impact the education and skilled careers of thousands of students with financial need,” said TechForce CEO Jennifer Maher, in a press release. “Our Board of Directors is committed to growing our capabilities so that no student who needs financial assistance to pursue their technical education and career as a professional technician is denied.”

TechForce says recent transformational gifts enabled the record-breaking scholarship distribution, including major support from Ford Philanthropy, Ford Motor Co., and Christian Brothers Automotive. Two significant unrestricted grants from General Motors and Bridgestone Americas Trust are also enabling TechForce to invest in its people power for “growth and scaling” to serve more students and tech schools nationwide, the release says.

“Capacity building is a significant priority for this new Executive Committee,” said Maher. “These unrestricted grants allow us to strengthen our infrastructure and expand our capacity, ensuring we can process more scholarships, help more students find apprenticeships and jobs, and ultimately fill America’s critical skilled technician gap.”

TechForce continues to expand its impact across all sectors of technician employment, including automotive, aviation, collision repair, diesel, emerging technologies, machining, motorsports, welding, and more. TechForce recently expanded into the HVAC technician sector following a sizable grant from Carrier.

“The pendulum has swung where now society understands that not every student wants or needs to go on to a four-year university and that technical education and skilled trades are a solid, viable pathway to sustainable careers. Most engines are now computers on wheels, and we need a highly trained, dedicated workforce to keep America rolling,” said Maher.

Jon Vesely, newly elected TechForce Foundation Board of Directors president and chairman, has challenged the organization to reach its potential, according to the release.

“While we’re budgeted in 2025 to award $6 million in scholarships and grants, a significant accomplishment, this is still only helping 1 in 7 students coming to us for assistance,” he said. “When America desperately needs skilled technicians, we need to push ourselves, industry, and donors to do more. Our goal is to build our capacity to raise and distribute the $30 million annually necessary so every qualified student gets the support they deserve.”

Images

Featured image: Stock photo of a vehicle repair instructor with a student. (Credit: monkeybusinessimages/iStock)