DLFNY’s $1 Million Commitment to Lighting Education Is a “Wake-Up Call”

The Designers Lighting Forum of New York’s $1 million commitment to the Nuckolls Fund for Lighting Education addresses a challenge familiar to lighting designers, manufacturers, and sales agencies: finding enough people educated in lighting to meet the industry’s needs. The announcement of DLFNY’s $1 Million support highlights just how vital this funding is for the future of lighting education.

In Part I of our video conversation, Dan Blitzer and Charles Stone of the Nuckolls Fund for Lighting Education joined Jennifer Mason and Shaun Fillion of DLFNY to discuss the three-year investment, its intended impact, and why the industry needs to think bigger about supporting education.

Disclosure: Your humble editor serves on the board of the Nuckolls Fund for Lighting Education.

Extending DLFNY’s Reach

Education is central to DLFNY’s mission. Jennifer described an organization that supports learning through educational programs, scholarships, grants, and community outreach. Its commitment to the Nuckolls Fund builds on a longstanding relationship while providing a foundation for continued support.

Shaun connected the investment to LEDucation’s growth. As the show attracts an audience well beyond New York, DLFNY has an opportunity to give back on a similarly broad scale. The Nuckolls Fund provides a way to reach schools, educators, and students across the continent.

Jennifer explained that the intention was to move beyond individual annual requests toward an ongoing investment in education.

Jennifer: Building sustained support for lighting education

Addressing the Lighting Talent Shortage

For Charles, the need is clear. Asked about the supply of graduates over his four decades in practice, he described it as “uneven at best.”

“There are not enough young, talented, educated people—educated in lighting—to hire,” he said.

That shortage extends beyond lighting design firms. Manufacturers and sales agencies also need people with a strong grounding in lighting. Charles sees that shared need as a compelling reason for the industry to invest in education.

Dan described the goal as developing a flow of creative, engaged individuals into every part of the industry, from design and manufacturing to engineering, research, and sales.

Charles: Why the industry needs more lighting-educated graduates

Turning Industry Support into Classroom Opportunities

Named for lighting designer and educator James Nuckolls, the Fund has spent nearly 40 years supporting university-level lighting programs, student scholarships, and faculty fellowships.

Dan emphasized that its role goes beyond distributing money. It connects the lighting industry with the educators and students who represent its future.

Shaun offered a practical example from the New York School of Interior Design, where he leads the graduate lighting design program.

A Nuckolls Fund grant helped develop a course addressing the health factors of lighting and daylighting. It also enabled students to use daylight-measurement devices to understand conditions in their own classroom and provided software for calculations related to the WELL Building Standard.

These are tangible investments in how students learn. They give future practitioners opportunities to measure, analyze, and apply concepts they will carry into their careers.

Shaun: What a Nuckolls Fund grant makes possible

Honoring Paul Marantz Through Education

Charles also shared an update on the Paul M. Marantz Lighting Design Scholarship. At the time of our conversation, he reported approximately $560,000 raised from 92 donors.

The initial fundraising brought in nearly $200,000 from friends, family, and colleagues. Expanding beyond that circle required more effort, but the response reflects a shared interest in honoring Paul’s legacy by supporting future lighting designers.

Charles chose the Nuckolls Fund to administer the scholarship because of its efficiency and clarity of focus. His involvement eventually led to an invitation to join the board.

“I found a new hobby,” he said.

Behind the humor is a serious ambition: making scholarships large enough to influence students’ decisions about their education.

Charles wants lighting scholarships to prompt conversations at schools and around family kitchen tables. Meaningful financial support, he argued, can encourage students and their parents to ask why they are not considering lighting.

“We just need to do more,” he said.

A Focused Mission, a Bigger Commitment

Dan connected the Fund’s efficiency to its clear mission: directing industry resources to schools, teachers, and students. Staying focused on that work, he explained, helps keep expenses outside educational giving to a minimum.

The size of DLFNY’s commitment carries a message of its own. A million dollars attracts attention—and, Dan explained, that was intentional.

Charles described the ambition as disruptive. Dan called it a wake-up call.

“Not only should we do more, but we can do more.”

Dan: Why a million dollars sends a message

DLFNY’s investment will support lighting education over the next three years. It also challenges the broader industry to consider what it can contribute toward developing the people it needs.

Watch the complete Part I conversation. To learn more about supporting lighting education, contact Dan or visit the Nuckolls Fund for Lighting Education.

Tomorrow, we will focus on the second part of this two-part series.

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