Today DFI Educational Trust is an independent charitable foundation of the Deep Foundations Institute. The TRUST manages the Annual Student Paper Competition, the Annual Young Professors Paper Competition, the History of Deep Foundations Poster Program, the Sustaining Membership Fund and the Paul DeBruyn Memorial Student Scholarship Fund. These programs, along with future initiatives, will play a large role in enabling better Industry-Academia communications by instilling an interest in the heavy construction and civil engineering sciences in both high school and college level students.

In the short term the TRUST plans to award Student Scholarships for masters level students in a Deep Foundations directed area of study. These scholarships will be endowed through charitable donations and fund raising events. Creating opportunities for students to see Industry in action will be another large element of the DFI Trust mission, whether by providing affordable student attendance of DFI Conferences and technical seminars, site visits and live demonstrations or by bringing Industry Experts into the classrooms.

This is only the beginning.

Click here to view/download the DFI History of Deep Foundations Poster.

• To improve and extend knowledge of new ideas and practices of geotechnical and geoenvironmental design, construction and installation.
• To encourage and participate in the practical application of research related to deep foundations and deep excavations.
• To gather, catalog and disseminate information to effect the most economical design and construction for support of structures on deep strata and for protection of deep excavations.
• To improve understanding by the public and by government bodies of the deep foundation industry.
• To establish contacts with other groups working on related goals in the United States and abroad.
• To participate in or conduct such other activities as will best promote these foregoing purposes.