PAVE - The Planning and Visual Education Partnership

Hollywood, Fla. (May 27, 2008)—The Planning and Visual Education partnership (PAVE) is pleased to announce the launch of its new Helping Hand Fund. The PAVE Helping Hand Fund provides grant funds to accredited two– and four–year educational institutions to enhance the quality of programs and services for students entering into careers in the retail design and planning and visual merchandising industries.

In the Helping Hand Fund’s inaugural year, the PAVE board is looking forward to awarding up to $25,000 in grants. There is no cap on the amount that can be requested or granted by each educational institution. Grant award amounts will be based on the size and scope of the program for which the applicant requests funding. A PAVE Board task force will review grant requests meeting the criteria to determine award decisions.

All applications, including required attachments, must be received on or before Oct. 31, 2008. To be eligible for a grant, the school must have at least three students participate in PAVE’s 2008 Student Design Competition, sponsored by Macy’s.

For complete Helping Hand Fund information and a grant application, please visit www.paveinfo.org.

Note for editors: PAVE can provide contacts for interviews. Contact Catharine Scott, above, for more information.

About PAVE
Founded in 1992, The Planning and Visual Education Partnership’s (PAVE) objective is to encourage students to study in the field of retail design and planning and visual merchandising through its annual Student Design Competition. Additionally, PAVE seeks to encourage retail management, store planners, visual merchandisers, architects, and manufacturers to interact with and support design students. This is accomplished through seminars, workshops, and PAVE’s annual fundraising Gala with proceeds dedicated to financial aid and internships for qualified students. PAVE is administered by the Association for Retail Environments (A.R.E.), formerly NASFM.