UNITED ENGINEERING FOUNDATION

ANNUAL REPORT – 2011

In 2010 the Board of Trustees approved eight grants for 2011 that together responded to a broad set of needs of the engineering profession.  These grants, actually funded in 2011 totaled $687,500, are as follows:

1. $147,000 to AIME, with ASCE, ASME, AIChE, and IEEE as partners, to fund the Carbon & Energy Management Technology Conference (using the Off- shore Technology Conference model) and the Carbon Management Project.
2. $50,000 to WGBH to support the development of DESIGN SQUAD: Invent It, an integrated multi-media project of the PBS engineering television series targeted to 9 to 12-year olds and designed to attract them to engineering.
3. $38,000 to ASME to support a collaborative effort among a number of engineering societies including ASCE, AIChE, ASME and IEEE-USA to host an Engineering Public Policy Symposium in 2011.
4. $100,000 to Engineers Week as a leadership grant for the National Engineers Week Future City Competition: The New Generation for the development of a new portal and new curriculum learning blocks.
5. $150,000 to ASME with IEEE and Engineers Without Borders to support a joint effort to produce an Engineers for Change Knowledge Repository, an on-line platform from key partners databases.
6. $65,000 to AIChE to support a collaborative effort of the Engineers Forum on Sustainability to build an interdisciplinary outreach network for sustainable development for the engineering community.
7. $47,000 to AIME, with ASCE, ASME, AIChE and IEEE as partners, to further expand the accessibility for the Emerging Leaders Alliance by development of on-demand, online content.
8. $90,500 to the University of Houston to formulate and implement a sustainable public radio program of “Invenciones de Nuestra Inventiva” employing KUHF’s “Engineers of Our Ingenuity”.

In mid-2011, the Grants Committee reviewed 35 concept papers totaling over $3 million and invited 11 full proposals for consideration. The Committee reviewed the resulting proposals that totaled nearly $1.1 million and then submitted a prioritized list to the full Board of Trustees for review and approval.  The Board approved funding 8 grants in 2012 for a total of $645,000 as follows:

1. $88,000 to AAES to fund a facilitated engineering society summit to develop a shared vision for engineering societies and determine the best way that AAES may then support that vision.
2. $22,000 to IEEE-USA as grantee for a collaborative one-day workshop with major engineering and scientific societies to explore the impact and effectiveness of funds expended on the STEM enterprise.
3. $46,000 to WGBH in support of Design Squad: Informal Pathways to Engineering – a research effort to determine the diverse pathways Children take while pursuing an interest in engineering.
4. $138,000 to the National Academy of Engineering to create broader awareness and use by the engineering community of new, more effective messaging about engineering including “Changing the Conversation.”
5. $148,000 to ASME with IEEE and Engineers Without Borders to support two Engineering For Change projects: building a Solutions Library and developing the E4C Learning Center.
6. $28,000 to ASME to support a collaborative effort among a number of engineering societies including ASCE, AIChE, ASME and IEEE-USA to host an Engineering Public Policy Symposium in 2012.
7. $83,000 to AIChE to support an effort of the  Carbon Management Project to develop tools to add clarity to the sustainability knowledge base including Life Cycle Assessments.
8. $92,000 to the University of Houston to continue building and increasing the use of a sustainable public radio program of “Invenciones de Nuestra Inventiva” employing KUHF’s “Engineers of Our Ingenuity”.

The Foundation’s financial position experienced a decrease in unrestricted net assets of $1.2 million during 2011.  This was driven by the weak financial markets and the requirement imposed on the UEF, as a private foundation, to give at least a minimum dollar value of grants independent of investment earnings.

From an operating perspective, a major activity during 2011 was the process of considering a large number of potential investment managers for the Foundations portfolio.  The Board interviewed finalists and ultimately selected the Glenmede Trust. Transition of the portofolio occurred in October.

As we look forward into 2012, the United Engineering Foundation’s vision “to advance the engineering arts and sciences for the welfare of humanity” continues.  The Foundation remains committed to operate as an efficient and lean organization in order to maximize the number and size of its grants for the greater engineering community.  In so doing the United Engineering Foundation squarely meets its mission “to support engineering and education by, among other means, making grants.”

Audited 2011 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS are not included in the website version.