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Scholarship and Apprenticeship Programs
The Piston Fund
Skilled Trade Education Scholarships
The Piston Foundation helps students take their first steps towards a skilled trade career. If you are attending, accepted, or enrolled in a 2- or 4-year automotive technology program and have a strong interest in working with collector cars, a Piston Fund scholarship can help make school more affordable.
The Piston Academy
Apprenticeships in Collector Car Restoration
The Piston Academy helps qualified technicians learn the skills and craft of collector car restoration and service by apprenticing with today’s master craftspeople. The Academy provides apprenticeship placements at leading restoration shops, a hands-on learning plan, mentoring, and a training grant.
CARS FOR PISTON SCHOLARS
Turn your collector car into scholarships.
From the Piston Blog
Piston Scholar Zachary Wiernusz Upholds The Family Tradition
Twenty-one-year-old Zachary Wiernusz loves classic cars. From an early age, he couldn’t help but follow his passion to work on them. After all, his great-grandfather, grandfather, and father were car nuts. Now, Zach is eager to continue the family tradition.
Piston Scholar Lindzie Archer is Discovering her Automotive Career
At 14 years old, Lindzie Archer discovered she loved performing oil changes and working on her dad’s Toyota 4 Runner and 2008 Ford Escape. Now, at 21 years old, Lindzie attends McPherson College, taking chassis restoration, machining technology, automotive trim and drawing classes in her Junior year.
Piston Apprentice #1: Franko Montoya
Although Franko Montoya had a budding interest in cars while in his teens, his true passion for working on them didn’t surface until he began attending McPherson College, known for its outstanding car restoration curriculum. He didn’t realize that his passion could turn into a career. Today, at the age of 25, he is The Piston Academy’s first apprentice.
Join Us
Make a Donation
Give to what you love by making a gift that helps the next generation access the education and training they need to begin a career as a classic car technician.
Sponsor a Scholar
Piston Foundation scholarships are awarded to aspiring technicians to help them begin an auto restoration career. Give to the car culture you love.
Donate a Car
Turn your collector car into education and hands-on training for aspiring collector car technicians. Your car can change lives. 100% goes to our scholarship program.
Community Partners
Financial Transparency
We are proud to have received a Platinum Transparency seal from Candid in our third year of operations. We embrace our responsibility to steward the gifts of our donors for the greatest possible impact.
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