James F. Lincoln Foundation

The James F. Lincoln Foundation is a non-profit, welding education organization founded in 1936 to promote welding as a better method of joining metals and to promote welding as a career choice. It is the only organization in the United States solely dedicated to educating the public about the art and science of arc welding. Formed when the arc welding industry was in its infancy, the Foundation is now in its seventh decade of publishing educational texts and granting cash awards to recognize technical achievements.

Educational Materials

Teaching Aids
DVDs
Books
Training Materials

Numerous low cost welding educational textbooks, videos, DVDs, teaching aids and no cost periodicals and technical papers are available through the James F. Lincoln Foundation.

Awards

The Awards Programs began back in 1938 with the first contest for the best technical papers on the application of arc welding to design and production, which resulted in the submission of 1,981 papers. Of these, 446 papers were given cash awards totaling $200,000 ($2.68 million adjusted for inflation), with the top award being worth $13,700 ($183,000 in today's dollars). The program was international in scope, with the First Grand Award going to a project submitted by the president and a stockholder of Wellman Engineering Company of Cleveland, Ohio and the Second Grand Award being won by engineers on the staff of Diagrid Structures, Ltd. of London, England. Today, the college and school shop award programs have continued in the United States with an invitation to global participants as well.