Skip to Main Content
Partners

The Piston Foundation Announces Hearst Autos as Its Newest Community Partner

Piston and Hearst Autos will work together to grow the Piston Scholarship program to help young car enthusiasts start careers as collector car technicians.

By Judy Stropus

August 26, 2024

GREENWICH, Conn. (August 26, 2024) – The Piston Foundation, whose mission is to help more young people become collector car technicians, announced its partnership with Hearst Autos, the leading automotive media organization in the world, and its brands, Autoweek, Bring a Trailer, Car and Driver, and Road & Track.

Through this new partnership, Hearst Autos and the Foundation will produce a Public Service Announcement campaign to help grow awareness of The Piston Foundation’s scholarship program among readers of Autoweek, Car and Driver, and Road & Track. Hearst Autos will also support fundraising efforts, such as a Piston and Bring a Trailer t-shirt collaboration that will launch in September 2024.

In return, The Piston Foundation, through its communications and initiatives, will continue its efforts to recognize the charitable work of Hearst Autos in the car community.

“I’m thrilled to begin this partnership with Hearst Autos,” said Piston’s president and COO Jeff Mason. “Their media support will help us introduce The Piston Foundation to enthusiasts across the car community and invite everyone to be a part of our mission to fuel the careers of future technicians.”

“We thank Nick Matarazzo, president of Hearst Autos, for his leadership on this issue. It’s not a lack of interest that keeps young people from pursuing automotive skilled trades, it’s a lack of access to the education and training that’s needed to unlock these careers. By joining Piston in solving this problem, Hearst Autos is truly giving back to its community.”

“We’re always looking to inspire and empower the next generation of enthusiasts,” said Nick Matarazzo, president of Hearst Autos. “The impressive work The Piston Foundation is doing embodies the collective vision of our BRANDS—to build a strong community who shares our passion for automotive and preserving the art of car culture.”

The Piston Foundation announced earlier this year that 20 Piston Scholarships have been awarded for 2024, for the fall semester. Since the program’s inception in 2022, The Piston Foundation has granted 53 scholarships to 37 aspiring students who are training for careers in automotive restoration, collection management, and vintage motorsports.

Additional information and details on The Piston Scholars may be found at https://pistonfoundation.org/blog/piston-scholarship-awards-fall-2024/.

Information on The Piston Foundation Community Partners may be found at https://pistonfoundation.org/about/community-partners/.

About Hearst Autos

As the leading automotive media organization in the world, Hearst Autos connects car buyers, owners and enthusiasts to the information they need, the experiences they crave and the stories they love — while connecting automotive marketers to this audience of unrivaled breadth and diversity. The brands at Hearst Autos include Autoweek, Bring a Trailer, Car and Driver, and Road & Track. www.hearstautos.com

About The Piston Foundation

The Piston Foundation, based in Greenwich, Connecticut, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that helps young car enthusiasts jumpstart a career as classic car technicians. Piston awards tech-school scholarships, connects aspiring technicians with jobs, and champions skilled trade careers in automotive restoration. To shift the classic car workforce from graying into growing, Piston nurtures the passion and talent of the next generation. www.pistonfoundation.org.

Support skilled trade education for future auto restoration technicians.

Campaigns

Sign up for our monthly email with stories, updates, and volunteer opportunities.

Name(Required)