DENSO Foundation Awards Over $2.7 Million in Education Grants to Community Colleges and Universities Across North America

Funds help advance programs that encourage students to pursue engineering and skilled-trades careers in automotive and manufacturing sectors

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Oct. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- DENSO, a leading mobility supplier, announced today that the DENSO North America Foundation (DNAF), its philanthropic group, has awarded more than $2.7 million in education grants to 22 North American community colleges and universities.

The grants are focused on helping students advance their educations in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields and explore career opportunities in skilled trades, manufacturing and other technical areas. Such grants enhance the company's wider efforts to support the workforces of today and the future.

"DENSO is committed to enabling early-career talent to grow their knowledge and pursue successful careers in STEM areas. Through these grants, our aim is to inspire the next generation of engineers and skilled trades experts," said Marty Deschenes, president of DNAF and leader of DENSO North America South Sub-Region Manufacturing.

Since 2001, DNAF has given $16 million in higher education grants. DNAF also provides disaster relief grants to the American Red Cross and other first responder organizations. The foundation has awarded a total of nearly $20 million in higher education, disaster relief and community grants since it was founded in 2001.

This year's grant recipients will utilize funding for equipment investments, student projects and research in a wide range of fields, including engineering, mobility, manufacturing, data analytics and skilled trades.

Institutions in the United States, Canada and Mexico were invited to submit proposals. The following schools were awarded funding:

• Auburn University
• California State University, Long Beach
• Clemson University
• Cleveland State Community College
• Conalep Dr. Carlos Canseco Gonzalez, Apodaca, Mexico
• Irapuato Institute of Technology
• Kalamazoo Valley Community College
• Kellogg Community College
• Lawrence Technological University
• McMaster University
• Michigan State University
• Mitchell Community College
• Pellissippi State Community College
• Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Athens
• Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Knoxville
• Tennessee Tech University
• University of North Carolina at Charlotte
• Universidad de Guanajuato
• Universidad Technologica de Leon
• University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
• University of Tennessee, Knoxville
• Western Michigan University

For more about DNAF and how DENSO supports its communities, visit https://www.densofoundation.org/.  

For those interested in advancing their career at an automotive supplier as committed to the future workforce as it is to the future of mobility, visit  https://www.denso.com/us-ca/en/careers/locations/.

About DENSO 
Globally headquartered in Kariya, Japan, DENSO is a $47.2 billion leading mobility supplier that develops advanced technology and components for nearly every vehicle make and model on the road today. With manufacturing at its core, DENSO invests in around 180 facilities worldwide to provide opportunities for rewarding careers and to produce cutting-edge electrification, powertrain, thermal and mobility electronics products, among others, that change how the world moves. In developing such solutions, the company's 162,000 global employees are paving the way to a mobility future that improves lives, eliminates traffic accidents, and preserves the environment. DENSO spent around 7.7 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024. For more information about DENSO's operations worldwide, visit www.denso.com/global. 

In North America, DENSO is headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, and employs 27,000+ engineers, researchers, and skilled workers across nearly 50 sites in the U.S, Canada and Mexico. In the United States alone, DENSO employs 17,500+ employees across 14 states (and the District of Columbia) at 41 sites. In the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, DENSO in North America generated $11.7 billion in consolidated sales. DENSO is committed to advancing diversity and inclusion inside the company and beyond – a principle that brings together unique perspectives, bolsters innovation and pushes DENSO forward. To learn more about DENSO operations in the region and to review current career opportunities, please visit www.denso.com/us-ca/en/.  

SOURCE DENSO