For over thirty-five years, the Nuckolls Fund has inspired and nurtured the generosity of the lighting community, relying on its steadfast support to advance lighting education.
The Fund concentrates its activities on the students, faculty, and institutions that develop the understanding and appreciation of lighting in design. While some of the programs we support serve lighting specialists, most are a critical part of general education in design, interiors, architecture, and architectural engineering.
This year, we made three significant grants and four student achievement awards, a total of $100,000. Significantly, we made our first award to a historically black university. You can learn more about grant opportunities for 2026 and current and past recipients at nuckollsfund.org.
We are conscious of operational expenses and have seen a modest decrease of 5% in the last calendar year. After grant payments and expenses, the Fund’s endowment grew by 3.5%, ending our fiscal year with balance of $2,864,605. During the year, we received a new five-year commitment of $100,000, as well as a flow of continuing donations. Nevertheless, fundraising remains a critical concern for the Fund. We are truly grateful for the valued support we receive from firms and individuals throughout our industry.
Looking ahead, we will continue our grants at the current level of $100,000, both to strengthen current lighting programs and to help institute new ones. The Fund will also undertake several new initiatives. We will modify our achievement awards to reach students at a wider range of schools in 2026.
We are particularly excited to report that the Nuckolls Fund will offer the Teachers of Lighting Workshop (TOLW) next June, the first time since 2019. The TOLW advances lighting education by providing technical and instructional development to those who will teach lighting in a variety of design programs. In re-instituting the TOLW, the Fund will be supported by The Illuminating Engineering Society and several corporate sponsors.
Our successful activities and exciting new ones would not be possible without the efforts of our volunteer board and financial support from our many contributors. You can find more information at www.nuckollsfund.org. I hope you will recognize many of the supporters, both individuals and firms.
We believe that students who participate in the programs we fund leave with a deeper appreciation for lighting and a commitment to invest in it—reflected in their sustained engagement with the industry. We believe it because we witness it every day.
Interest in lighting education is strong, but that interest needs to be galvanized into energetic support. In the past year, we spoke at the IES National Conference, Lightfair, and LEDucation, as well as various local encounters. Going forward, we expect to be a visible and articulate champion to advance lighting education.
On behalf of the entire board of the Nuckolls Fund, I thank you for your support and ask you to once again step up. Time, energy, and financial support are all sincerely appreciated. The need is great, the time is short, and we are the ones who must do the job. If you are interested in education and the Fund’s activities, we’d like to hear from you! Write to me at dan@nuckollsfund.org.
Sincerely,
Dan Blitzer, LC, FIES
President of the Board