NHE Awards Grants to 3 Universities to Promote Workforce Development and Growth

Workforce Development
Published

For more than 30 years, the National Housing Endowment, NAHB’s philanthropic arm, has continued to invest in the residential construction industry, giving back more than $15 million to date.

Since 2009, the signature initiative of the endowment, the Homebuilding Education Leadership Program (HELP), has invested more than $5.9 million in grants to 47 colleges and universities nationwide to increase the number of qualified graduates entering the home building industry.

This year, there are three HELP grant recipients:

  • California State University in Sacramento will use its funding to establish an NAHB Student Chapter, develop residential construction curriculum, and strengthen its relationship with its state and local HBAs. It will also partner with local high schools to expose students to education and career opportunities in the home building industry.
  • Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich., received its third HELP grant and will use this grant to teach the latest advancements in smart buildings, solar and wind energy generation, and battery storage systems. They will collaborate with NAHB Economics to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of data analytics, conduct research projects and collaboration with industry partners, and develop specialized courses and programs covering project management, cost estimating, construction methods, design, sustainability and regulations specific to mixed use and multifamily.
  • Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., also received its third HELP grant and will partner with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) to plan out rural revitalization residential projects for student participation and develop a senior capstone course built around the concept of rural revitalization and service learning initiatives. Purdue will also share best practices for rural development programs to motivate universities throughout the country to engage in rural revitalization projects in alliance with each state’s USDA rural initiatives.

“We're looking for builder partners to champion some of these new programs in their city,” added Scott Wentz, HELP Advisory Committee chairman. “Reach out to your local HBA or NAHB Student Chapter, connect with a local school, connect with us here at the National Housing Endowment. And I see us being a connector and a catalyst for this synergy.”

Learn more at nationalhousingendowment.org.

Subscribe to NAHBNow

Log in or create account to subscribe to notifications of new posts.

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Sustainability and Green Building

Apr 30, 2025

NAHB Mourns Passing of Member Kim Shanahan

NAHB mourns the passing of Kim Shanahan, who played an integral role in the Sustainability & Green Building Subcommittee and Healthier Homes and Communities Subcommittee.

Awards | Sustainability and Green Building

Apr 30, 2025

Global Innovation Home of the Year Brings Wellness to Production Home Design

ERTH360, a home design and architecture firm based in Ontario, has spent years focused on bringing wellness concepts to production home design. Its design won the Gold award for GIA Global Innovation Home of Year at NAHB’s The Nationals for 2024.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Apr 30, 2025

U.S. Economy Contracted in First Quarter of 2025

The U.S. economy contracted in the first quarter of 2025 for the first time in three years, driven by a sharp surge in pre-tariff imports, softening consumer spending, and a decline in government spending.

Economics

Apr 30, 2025

House Sharing is Not Just for Young Adults

A record-high 6.8 million households shared their housing with unrelated housemates, roommates or boarders in 2023. While college-age and young adults make up the largest subset of house sharers (close to 41%), this type of living arrangement is gaining popularity among older householders fastest, with the 55+ segment accounting for 30% of all house-sharing households in 2023.

Economics

Apr 29, 2025

Jobs Openings Fall as Economy Slows

Consistent with soft sentiment data, the count of job openings for the overall economy and construction fell in March as employers slowed hiring plans amid a broader economic slowdown, per the March Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS).