What the asme foundation does

The ASME Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization established in 1986 as the philanthropic arm of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the world's premier engineering society founded in 1880. Headquartered in Washington, D.C. at 1828 L Street N.W., Suite 406, with a secondary office at Two Park Avenue in New York, the Foundation operates through three program pillars: "Education That Inspires" (ASME E-Fests, 150+ annual scholarships, and the Transforming Engineering Education initiative including the MEEd Summit and ABET partnership), "Careers That Matter" (Community College Engineering Pathways, Federal Fellows placing engineers in U.S. government roles, and 100+ endowed honors and awards), and "Ideas That Innovate" (the Engineering for Change/E4C digital community with 68,000+ members, E4C Fellowships, and the ISHOW/IDEA LAB hardware accelerator that has enabled 273+ startups from 35+ countries). Programs serve a continuum of beneficiaries from K-12 students through early-career engineers and social entrepreneurs, with 10,000+ individuals trained annually across touchpoints.

Program delivery combines digital platforms (E4C's community and Solutions Library), in-person events (ASME E-Fests, ISHOW regional showcases in the USA, India, and Kenya), accreditation partnerships (ABET program evaluator selection and training), and federal placements (engineers in U.S. Congress, the White House, and federal agencies). The Foundation is not a technology company and does not develop proprietary software; its technical footprint centers on event operations, digital community tooling, and program management. Multi-stakeholder governance includes a Board of Directors chaired by Dr. Sonya T. Smith of Howard University, with directors including Dean Oscar Barton, Jr. of Morgan State University, Immediate Past ASME President Karen J. Ohland of Princeton, Columbia Mishra of GSITA, and ASME Executive Director/CEO Thomas Costabile, supported by a professional staff of approximately ten led by Executive Director Stephanie Viola.

The Foundation's revenue model is donor-funded across four streams: individual donations (alumni, engineers, and philanthropists), corporate partnerships (including Ansys scholarships totaling nearly $250K over five years, ComEd, RS Group, and Autodesk Foundation), foundation and government grants (The Lemelson Foundation's three-year ISHOW investment, ECMC Foundation's CCEP grant, NSF, and U.S. Department of Labor apprenticeship grants), and planned giving vehicles (Archimedes Club for estate planning, the Alexander Holley Society, the Thomas Edison Society, charitable gift annuities, and endowment funds). Beneficiaries do not pay for services; the Foundation raises and deploys charitable contributions to fund engineering education, workforce development, and social innovation programming under IRS Tax ID 13-3372934.

Name

the asme foundation

Legal name

ASME Foundation

Website

https://asmefoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The ASME Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds engineering education, scholarships, workforce development, and a global hardware accelerator for social entrepreneurs, serving K-12 students, engineering scholars, early-career engineers, and ISHOW founders across the U.S., India, Kenya, and 30+ additional countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineering Education Philanthropy

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC), International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

Keywords

• Engineering scholarships
• Engineering education programs
• Workforce development
• Hardware accelerator
• Engineering fellowships

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The foundation receives donations from individual supporters including alumni, engineers, and philanthropists who contribute to engineering education and workforce development programs.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Corporations partner with the foundation through scholarships, program sponsorships, matching gifts, and event support. Companies like Ansys, ComEd, RS Group, and Autodesk Foundation provide financial support.
3. Foundation Grants: The foundation receives grants from other foundations including The Lemelson Foundation, ECMC Foundation, and National Science Foundation for specific program initiatives.
4. Planned Giving: Donors can contribute through bequests, charitable gift annuities, beneficiary designations, charitable remainder trusts, and endowment funds.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The ASME Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 1986 as the philanthropic arm of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. It delivers engineering-focused charitable programs spanning K-12 inspiration through professional career development, including scholarships, fellowships, engineering festivals, a social-enterprise hardware accelerator (ISHOW/IDEA LAB), a 68,000+ member digital community (Engineering for Change), and over 100 endowed awards.

Product overview

The ASME Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that supports engineering education and workforce development through three main program pillars: Education That Inspires (ASME E-Fests, ASME Scholarships, Transforming Engineering Education), Careers That Matter (Community College Engineering Pathways, Federal Fellows, Honors & Awards), and Ideas That Innovate (Engineering for Change/E4C, E4C Fellowships, ISHOW/IDEA LAB). These programs form a continuum supporting students from early inspiration through professional practice and social innovation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ASME E-Fests: Global engineering festivals offering challenging competitions, skill-building workshops, and networking opportunities for college-age students.
• Engineering for Change (E4C)
• ISHOW/IDEA LAB
• Community College Engineering Pathways (CCEP)

Products and services

• ASME E-Fests and ASME EFx
• ASME Scholarships More than 150 annual scholarships awarded to mechanical engineering and related-discipline students at undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels through a single application process.
• Transforming Engineering Education (MEEd Summit) A convening and thought-leadership initiative (including the Mechanical Engineering Education Leaders/MEEd Summit) focused on transforming undergraduate mechanical engineering curricula, partnered with ABET to build engineering accreditation capacity.
• Community College Engineering Pathways (CCEP) Program expanding the engineering talent pipeline by supporting community college students transferring into four-year mechanical engineering programs.
• Federal Fellows Places experienced engineers in U.S. federal government roles to bring engineering expertise to policy and decision-making.
• Honors & Awards (endowed awards) Recognition program comprising more than 100 endowed awards honoring individual engineers, humanitarian engineering contributions, and achievement across mechanical engineering disciplines.
• Engineering for Change (E4C) Digital knowledge community of 68,000+ engineers, technologists, and development practitioners collaborating on solutions that improve quality of life in underserved communities globally.
• E4C Fellowships Fellowship program placing engineers with social-impact organizations to develop technical solutions for global development challenges.
• ISHOW (IDEA LAB) Hardware Accelerator Hardware accelerator providing seed funding, mentorship, engineering product validation, and exposure to social-impact hardware entrepreneurs; has supported more than 273 startups across 35+ countries.

Quantifiable outcome

• 150+ scholarships awarded annually to engineering students
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• RS GroupmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerLead supporter of ASME EFx event at Dallas College, providing funding for engineering student competitions and real-world design challenges. Represents industrial distributor supporting workforce development.
• QuanserminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering education solutions provider contributing thought leadership at ASME platforms, supporting MEEd conference, and engaging at IMECE through content contribution and sponsorship.
• ABETcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccreditation Board for Engineering and Technology partnership where ASME selects and trains program evaluators for mechanical engineering programs globally, ensuring curriculum relevance to industry needs.
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal research laboratory hosting E4C Fellows for sustainable development research and impact projects.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• IEEE Foundation: Philanthropic arm of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, funding scholarships, fellowships, and educational initiatives in engineering and technology. Most directly comparable as an engineering society foundation with similar scholarship and innovation programs.
• Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Foundation: Supports women in engineering through scholarships, fellowships, and outreach programs. Comparable mission around scholarships, workforce development, and diversity in engineering.
• SME Education Foundation: Philanthropic arm of SME (formerly Society of Manufacturing Engineers), providing scholarships and STEM programs for students pursuing manufacturing and engineering careers. Closely comparable scope and beneficiary base.
• ASCE Foundation: Philanthropic arm of the American Society of Civil Engineers, supporting scholarships, K-12 outreach, and workforce development for civil engineers. Directly parallel structure to the ASME Foundation.
• AIChE Foundation: Philanthropic arm of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, providing scholarships, fellowships, and K-12 STEM programs. Comparable engineering society foundation structure and beneficiary profile.
• NSPE Education Foundation: Education and scholarship arm of the National Society of Professional Engineers, supporting engineering students and workforce development. Comparable in scope and donor base to the ASME Foundation.
• National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME): Provides scholarships and institutional support to increase representation of underrepresented minorities in engineering and computer science. Comparable scholarship and workforce diversity mission.
• American Chemical Society (ACS) Scholars Program: Scholarship and education initiative from a major scientific society supporting underrepresented students in chemistry and STEM. Comparable in scholarship-led, society-affiliated model.

Others

• Lemelson Foundation: Major funder of the ASME Foundation's ISHOW accelerator; supports inventors and social entrepreneurs solving global problems. Comparable as an adjacent funder of engineering invention ecosystems.

Broad incumbents

• National Academy of Engineering: Engineering-focused organization advancing education, workforce, and policy initiatives. Comparable as a broader engineering education and workforce convener, though not a direct scholarship-granting foundation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asme

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about the asme foundation