The AHFA Furniture Foundation supports research and educational programs aimed at improving management, manufacturing and marketing within the residential furniture industry. Gifts are tax-deductible, and 100 percent of each contribution goes toward Foundation grants and scholarships.
The Furniture Foundation was established by Henry A. Foscue (1904-1985), a Jamestown, North Carolina, native. His furniture industry career began in 1926 at Globe Parlor Furniture Company, where he worked for 44 years, eventually serving as its president and chairman.
In 1958 he led a group of manufacturers in establishing the Furniture Manufacturing and Management curriculum at North Carolina State University, a program that became his greatest passion. To provide for its ongoing funding, Foscue established The Furniture Foundation in 1959.
Foscue served as the Foundation’s president until his death in 1985. At that time, the American Furniture Manufacturers Association, now the American Home Furnishings Alliance, stepped in as administrator.
In recent years, the Foundation has diversified its support and funded a wide range of initiatives, from university programs focused on innovation and technology in furniture manufacturing to targeted research addressing ergonomics, robotics, computer-aided design and product safety. Recent grants also have supported equipment, facilities and scholarships for industrial sewing and upholstery training programs at community colleges.
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