Apply for Project Grant

Grants for community building projects are available to qualifying non-profit organizations.  The grants consist of expertise and labor to build a timber-framed structure for your non-profit's "home."

The primary focus of the Guild is the nurturing and education of our members from around the world. We share interests with similar groups dedicated to wood craftsmanship—including but not limited to formal programs in Britain, Germany, France, and Japan. In our 30-year organizational history we have found that one of our most powerful motivating tools for membership is the community-service building project used as a teaching platform. This activity is 100% consistent with our mission both internally (training our apprentices and journeymen) and externally (presenting timber framing and community building to the wider world). We partner exclusively with other non-profits that would like a special structure built with our proven model of community-fueled construction.

We do not undertake projects that are fully funded and open for public bid or common commercial award. Our membership consists of professional timber framers in our communities and it is entirely inappropriate to compete in that market. Working with our building partners, we identify projects that would not otherwise get funded, but are seen as important community services. Cooperation during design and setup drives costs down as much as possible.

The Guild has undertaken dozens of projects as small as shelters for bus stops and walking paths, and as large as covered bridges and massive barns. Our members are indeed eclectic but all share a burning passion for working with wood and making the world around them a better place to live, work, play, and raise families. We host a major conference and several regional meetings a year that draw hundreds of members to share experiences and techniques with colleagues. Projects are additions to this schedule and focus on the building of a certain structure without conflicts for participants' attention. Invariably, town folk are drawn into project events and inspiring things happen. Through projects, we share our knowledge and love of craft with our members and the hosting community. Previous events have created park pavilions, Habitat homes, battered women’s shelters, ancient siege weaponry, eco-tourism centers, and covered bridges in the United States and Canada.

To qualify as a Guild project, a structure must meet specific criteria, with the primary goal being that we are working with a host of non-profit partners to build community through the craft of timber framing. Guild-provided instructors meet skill and experience requirements, and volunteer participants are familiar with the general logistical arrangements and overall goals of the project. Together they build the frame for your building. 

To learn how to apply for a project grant, please email our projects committee.

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