Manufacturing Institute (MI)

The Manufacturing Institute (MI) is a nonprofit organization that aims to advance a more competitive manufacturing industry, greater individual opportunities, and increased community prosperity by building a more robust manufacturing workforce. MI’s programs, research, and leadership prepare the manufacturing workforce for the advancement of modern manufacturing. 1

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At-A-Glance

Type: Non-profit, 501(c)(3)
Website: themanufacturinginstitute.org
Formation:

1977

President & Executive Director:

Carolyn Lee

President & Executive Director’s Salary (2023):

$502,298 2

Location: Washington, DC View on map
Tax ID: 52-1073576
Most Recent Filing: 2024
Budget (2024): Assets: $10,320,722 Revenue: $8,840,593 Expenses: $7,639,458

Contents

    The Manufacturing Institute is the charitable workforce development and education affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers. 1

    Activities

    The Manufacturing Institute supports the advancement of modern manufacturing by growing and preparing America’s skilled manufacturing workforce. Through its programs, research, and leadership, MI intends to advance individual opportunity and community prosperity while supporting the manufacturing industry. The Manufacturing Institute’s initiatives include Heroes MAKE America, Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME), Women MAKE America, and MFG Day (Manufacturing Day). 1

    Heroes MAKE America, MI’s signature program, is designed to connect the military community with the manufacturing industry through integrated certification and career-readiness trainings. 3 FAME focuses on the development of a global-best workforce equipped with modern technical and professional skills. 4

    Women MAKE America recognizes, develops, and empowers talented women in manufacturing to expand opportunities and close workforce gaps. 5 MFG Day is an annual event that occurs on the first Friday in October, followed by events throughout the month. The Manufacturing Institute helps organizations nationwide plan and execute successful MFG Day events to showcase manufacturing careers. 6

    Funding

    The Manufacturing Institute is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and businesses. While MI does not disclose its donors, tax filings confirm donations from the ECMC Foundation ($1.5 million in 2021), 7 the Dow Company Foundation ($1 million in 2022), 8 and the Toyota USA Foundation ($1 million in 2019). 9

    Leadership

    As of 2025, Carolyn Lee was the president and executive director of the Manufacturing Institute as well as a senior director of tax policy at the National Association of Manufacturers. Lee formerly worked as a director of legislative and government affairs at the Telecommunications Industry Association, a manager of federal and state government affairs at the 3M Company, and as a legislative director for former U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME). Lee sits on the boards of Procure Impact and the Coalition for Career Development Center. 10

    Board of Directors

    As of 2025, the Manufacturing Institute’s board of directors was comprised of Jay Timmons, Mary Andringa, Todd Boppell, Chris Nielsen, Nicholas Pinchuk, Courtney Silver, Kathy Wengel, and Julie Chase. 11

    Jay Timmons was the chair of the board and the president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers. Timmons is a former chair of the Washington Humane Society, a former executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and a former chief of staff in the U.S. House of Representatives. 12

    Mary Andringa was the chair emeritus of the board of the Vermeer Corporation. 13

    Todd Boppell is the COO of the National Association of Manufacturers and the COO and partner of Meshfrog. 14

    Chris Nielsen is an executive vice president and CQO of Toyota North America. 15

    Nicholas Pinchuk is the chair and CEO of Snap-on Incorporated. Pinchuk formerly held positions at the United Technologies Corporation, the Ford Motor Company, and the Columbus McKinnon Corporation. 16

    Courtney Silver is the president of Ketchie Inc. Silver formerly worked as a vice president at Bank of America. 17

    Kathy Wengel is an executive vice president, CTO, and risk officer at Johnson & Johnson. Wengel formerly worked as a vice president at the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies. 18

    Julie Chase is general counsel for MI and vice president and deputy general counsel at the National Association of Manufacturers. Chase formerly worked as a staff attorney at the National Industries for the Blind; a senior associate attorney at Whiteford, Taylor & Preston LLP; and as a presidential management fellow at the Department of Justice. 19

    Board of Advisors

    In 2025, the Manufacturing Institute’s board of advisors was comprised of Mandy Burnette, Stephanie Fisher, Janette Hostettler, John Karren, Ryan Kish, Stephanie Regan, and Leticia Camara Roinesdal. 20

    Mandy Burnette is the director of corporate giving at Smurfit Westrock. Burnette formerly worked as a manager of employee communications at MeadWestvaco, a manager of investor relations at the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce, and a marketing manager at Ukrop’s Super Markets. 21

    Stephanie Fisher is the general manager of human resources for the Americas at the Timken Company. 22

    Janette Hostettler is a vice president at Toyota North America. 23

    John Karren is a consulting solutions and workforce transformation partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. 24

    Ryan Kish is the president and treasurer of the Arconic Foundation and sits on the board of MakerUSA. Kish is a former program manager at the Alcoa Foundation. 25

    Stephanie Regan is the director of corporate citizenship at AAON. Regan formerly worked as director of community affairs at APSCO and a corporate market director at the American Heart Association. 26

    Leticia Camara Roinesdal is a principal at Deloitte Consulting. 27

    Financial Statistics

    Total Assets

    Total Revenue

    Total Expenses

    YearTotal AssetsTotal RevenueTotal ExpensesFiling
    2024 $10,320,722 $8,840,593 $7,639,458 View
    2023 $8,505,501 $8,214,206 $9,591,607 View
    2022 $10,834,691 $8,998,894 $11,637,765 View
    2021 $12,149,684 $11,688,291 $7,177,784 View
    2020 $7,243,553 $8,055,776 $3,952,303 View

    Prior year filings: 2019, 2018, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011

    Revenue Detail

    Expenses Detail

    Employee Compensation

    Highest Earning Employees

    EmployeeTitleTotal Compensation
    Carolyn LeePRESIDENT & EXECUTIVE DIRE$527,516
    Keith SmithCHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER$406,626
    Gardner CarrickCHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER$263,134
    Rachael SchefflerAVP PARTNERSHIPS & PHILANTHROPY$165,474
    James DavisDIRECTOR, FAME$162,060
    Amy ThomasDIR., MILITARY & VETERANS INITIATIVES$160,527
    Pooja TripathiDIR., WORKFORCE INNOVATION$157,682
    Rachelle WolfordDIRECTOR, HEROES$121,274

    Grant Activity

    All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $30,551,927
    • Number of Grants: 133
    • Number of Funders: 53

    Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $1,500,0002021 ECMC FoundationCareer Readiness
    $1,130,0002024 Trane Technologies Charitable FoundationTO INSPIRE EDUCATE AND EMPOWER THE MANUFACTURING WORKFORCE OF TODAY AND TOMORROW.
    $1,000,0002022 Dow Company FoundationCommunity Wellbeing
    $1,000,0002020 Toyota USA FoundationGrows and supports the manufacturing industry's skilled workers
    $905,0002021 Trane Technologies Charitable FoundationTo inspire educate and empower the manufacturing workforce of today and tomorrow.
    $750,0002022 Caterpillar FoundationMI Heroes MAKE America
    $655,0002023 Trane Technologies Charitable FoundationTO INSPIRE EDUCATE AND EMPOWER THE MANUFACTURING WORKFORCE OF TODAY AND TOMORROW.
    $600,0002021 Charles Koch InstituteEDUCATION
    $500,0002023 Charities Aid Foundation of AmericaCHARITABLE DONATION
    $500,0002021 Dow Company FoundationCommunity Wellbeing
    $500,0002020 Dow Company Foundation
    $456,2472022 American Online Giving Foundation IncGENERAL SUPPORT
    $300,0002024 Aviv Foundation IncGeneral
    $300,0002024 Arconic FoundationMI FAME AND STUDENT ENGAGEMENT PROJECT
    $250,0002024 ImpactAssetsGENERAL SUPPORT
    $250,0002021 Arconic FoundationWORKFORCE INITIATIVES AND RESOURCES FOR D&I, WOMEN, VETERANS, AND FAME
    $225,0002020 Smurfit Westrock US Foundation F/k/a Westrock FoundationSTEP, MI, HEREOS MAKE AMERICA AND STRENGTHENING CAREER PATHWAYS AND ENCOURAGING SKILLS TRAINING
    $220,0002023 Caterpillar FoundationWorkforce Readiness: Vocational Training
    $200,0002023 Arconic Foundation2023 PROGRAMS
    $200,0002022 Arconic FoundationMI MFG WORKFORCE SUPPORT
    $200,0002022 Aviv Foundation IncGeneral purpose
    $200,0002022 ImpactAssetsGENERAL SUPPORT
    $200,0002022 Smurfit Westrock US Foundation F/k/a Westrock FoundationHEREOS MAKE AMERICA, STEP, FAME
    $175,0002024 American Online Giving Foundation IncGENERAL SUPPORT
    $150,0002025 Charles R Schwab Foundation for Financial FreedomFUNDING FOR GENERAL SUPPORT

    All-time grants given statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $847,479
    • Number of Grants: 37
    • Number of Recipients: 32

    Selection of highest value grants given from the last seven years:

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $150,0002024 Jobs For The Future IncMILITARY LERS & BADGING MANUFACTURING SKILLS
    $150,0002023 Jobs For The Future IncMILITARY LERS & BADGING MANUFACTURING SKILLS
    $50,0002022 Chrysalis Ministries IncSUPPORT EXPANSION AND GROWTH OF SAN ANTONIO'S SECOND CHANCE HIRING INITIATIVE
    $20,0002023 Goodwill of North Georgia, Inc.ATLANTA SECOND CHANCE -PILOT LAUNCH
    $10,0002023 Boys and Girls Clubs of the Twin CitiesMANUFACTURING INSTITUTE AND UNION PACIFIC CAREER READINESS GRANT
    $10,0002023 Girls Incorporated of Alameda CountyMANUFACTURING INSTITUTE AND UNION PACIFIC CAREER READINESS GRANT
    $10,0002023 Girls Incorporated of OmahaMANUFACTURING INSTITUTE AND UNION PACIFIC CAREER READINESS GRANT
    $10,0002023 Iurban TeenMANUFACTURING INSTITUTE AND UNION PACIFIC CAREER READINESS GRANT
    $10,0002023 PLAYERS PHILANTHROPY FUNDMANUFACTURING INSTITUTE AND UNION PACIFIC CAREER READINESS GRANT
    $10,0002021 BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF GREATER SALT LAKEINCREASE AWARENESS OF TDL RELATED CAREER PATHWAYS AND STRENGTHEN COMMUNITIES
    $10,0002021 GIRL SCOUTS-SPIRIT OF NEBRASKAINCREASE AWARENESS OF TDL RELATED CAREER PATHWAYS AND STRENGTHEN COMMUNITIES
    $10,0002021 Girls Inc of ChicagoINCREASE AWARENESS OF TDL RELATED CAREER PATHWAYS AND STRENGTHEN COMMUNITIES
    $10,0002021 Hope Center FoundationINCREASE AWARENESS OF TDL RELATED CAREER PATHWAYS AND STRENGTHEN COMMUNITIES
    $7,5002023 Goodwill Industries of the Southern Rivers IncSECOND CHANCE HIRING PROGRAM

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    Financials, employee compensation, and grant information provided by Candid.

    Mentioned in this Article

    References

    1. “About.” The Manufacturing Institute. Accessed May 19, 2025. https://themanufacturinginstitute.org/about/.
    2. The Manufacturing Institute, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2023, Part VII, Section A, Line 1a.
    3. “Heroes MAKE America.” The Manufacturing Institute. Accessed May 19, 2025. https://themanufacturinginstitute.org/heroes-make-america/.
    4.  “FAME.” The Manufacturing Institute. Accessed May 19, 2025. https://themanufacturinginstitute.org/workers/fame/.
    5. “Women MAKE America Initiative.” The Manufacturing Institute. Accessed May 19, 2025. https://themanufacturinginstitute.org/employee-engagement/wma/.
    6. “Manufacturing Day.” The Manufacturing Institute. Accessed May 19, 2025. https://themanufacturinginstitute.org/students/manufacturing-day/.
    7. ECMC Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2021, Schedule I, Part II.
    8. Dow Company Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2022, Part XV, Line 3.
    9.  Toyota USA Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2019, Part XV, Line 3.
    10.  “Carolyn L.” LinkedIn. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynlee-mi/.
    11. “Board of Directors.” Board of Directors, Accessed May 29, 2025. https://themanufacturinginstitute.org/about/board-of-directors/
    12. “Jay Timmons.” LinkedIn. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaytimmons/.
    13. “Mary Andringa.” LinkedIn. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryandringa/.
    14. “Todd Boppell.” LinkedIn. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddboppell/.
    15. “Chris Nielsen.” LinkedIn. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-nielsen-13a4489a/.
    16. “Nicholas T. Pinchuk.” Snap-on. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.snapon.com/EN/Investors/Corporate-Governance/Board-of-Directors/Nicholas-T-Pinchuk.
    17. “Courtney Silver.” LinkedIn. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtney-silver-425a461a/.
    18. “Kathryn Wengel.” LinkedIn. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathryn-wengel/.
    19. “Julie Chase.” LinkedIn. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-chase-86b5a925/.
    20. “Board of Advisors.” Manufacturing Institute, Accessed May 29, 2025. https://themanufacturinginstitute.org/about/board-of-advisors/
    21. “Mandy Burnette.” LinkedIn. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandyburnette/.
    22. “Stephanie Fisher.” LinkedIn. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-fisher-04419913/.
    23. “Janette Hostettler.” LinkedIn. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/janette-hostettler-68ab14154/.
    24. “John Karren.” LinkedIn. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/johntkarren/.
    25. “Ryan Kish.” LinkedIn. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryankish/.
    26. “Stephanie Vickers Regan.” LinkedIn. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-vickers-regan-89754616/.
    27. “Leticia (Schmidt Camara) Camara Roinesdal.” LinkedIn. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/leticia-camara-roinesdal-6873b014/.