Grants & Awards

Annually, the Nuckolls Fund offers funding for three grants. In 2020 the Fund initiated a fourth grant, the Milham Catalyst grant, to be offered every 10 years. The next offering will be in 2030.  Additionally, four awards are presented yearly to students for outstanding achievement in lighting studies.

The history of each grant and award is described separately in this section of the web site; detailed descriptions of the criteria for each grant are included in the respective Request for Proposal (RFP) for each grant. The students who receive academic awards are nominated by their faculty.

Grant proposals are accepted only from educators at academic institutions in North America.

The Nuckolls Fund Grant

Amount: $30,000

The Nuckolls Fund Grant has been given annually since 1989 on the college level for the development and delivery of an innovative new or expanded course in lighting.

Download RFP

Lesley Wheel Introductory Lighting Program Grant

Amount: $30,000
(over 4 years)

This grant is directed to programs in architecture, engineering, technology and interior design that have either minimal or no lighting design offerings in their curricula now, but have a strong interest in adding them.

Download RFP

The Edison Price Fellowship Grant

Amount: $20,000

The Fellowship enables a lighting educator to further his or her own education by spending a significant portion of a semester in the lighting industry working with a manufacturing or design firm, or at a college or university with a thriving lighting program working with an established professor.

Download RFP

Milham Catalyst Grant

Amount: $50,000
(every 10 years,
next offering in 2030)

To be awarded every 10 years for a special endeavor dealing directly with lighting education and how it might stimulate a beneficial future for the lighting industry. This new grant option will provide for innovative programs which can enact changes in furthering the development of lighting education in unique and challenging ways.  

Create Your Own Grant

Amount: Flexible

If you have an idea for funding that would further the cause of quality lighting education but it does not fall into one of the listed grant categories, please feel free to submit it as a proposal. Your proposal should include a plan for implementation and should generally conform to the Required Submission Information listed in the other RFPs.