Free money for industry training

A summary of what’s on offer for everyone in the global moving industry from the Global Moving Foundation

On 17 July 2025 the Global Moving Foundation (GMF) held a webinar to discuss the organisation’s development and help build awareness of the foundation.  The webinar was presented by: Angela DeConti, Director of GMF; Brian Limperopulos, President of IAM and member of the Board of Directors of the Global Moving Foundation; and Terry Head, Chair of GMF.

The GMF was officially launched at the beginning of 2025.  It is an evolution of the Alan F. Wohlstetter Scholarship Fund intended to support education in the industry but extending its brief to include innovation, charitable work and collaboration with stakeholders.  But, although the extended brief is very much a future goal, right now the GMF is focussed on providing funding for professional development to individuals who wish to advance their capabilities though industry training.  In effect, it is offering free money for training to anyone, anywhere in the world.  With the exception of the $5000 Wohlstetter Academic Awards, the funding is available whether or not the students’ companies are IAM members.

It sounds too good to be true, but it is true.  The awards available through the GMF fall into three categories:

• Up to ten, $5000 Wohlstetter Academic Awards  given annually to IAM members, their dependents, and student members worldwide working or wishing to work in the moving industry.
• The Industry Training Program (ITP) awards which provide up to $500 annually to anyone taking industry-based training through any of the GMF approved trading partners (FIDI, IAM Learning, WERC, EuRA and LACMA).
• The Skill-based Learning Award (SBLA) through the Workforce Development Initiative (a pilot project) that will fund 50% of the training cost (up to $2000) for anyone taking qualified skill-based training that is not provided by the training providers such as: live animal handling, forklift operation, project management skills, etc.

There are no catches.  The ITP and the SBLA are available to anyone in the industry.  People may apply from anywhere in the world. These are legal requirements of the programme’s tax-free status.

In the last three years, since its launch, the ITP has funded 234 people to take training for professional development.  Not only has this provided funds, it has also given these students the independence to take training, if they wished, independent of their employers.

The purpose is to aid recruitment and retention in the industry, professionalise the industry for the benefit of customers, and empower learners to invest in themselves. The programme also helps connect people with appropriate training programmes which also helps the long-term viability of those programmes.

As well as encouraging new learners to apply, the GMF would also like to encourage training providers to get in touch so that, if appropriate, their courses can be included in the programme.

In the future, the GMF is hoping to also include funding for other initiatives which might include, for example, internships or exchange programs.

If you would like more information about how you can receive this funding, take a look at the new GMF website: www.globalmovingfoundation.org

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