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Donghia Endorses Interior Design Accreditation

The grant will help support professional staff and volunteers.

Mairi Beautyman -- Interior Design, 2/28/2006 12:00:00 AM

Certification for interior designers is still gathering clout—even though the number of designers earning it has doubled over the past 10 years. To support this program, the Angelo Donghia Foundation, the philanthropic arm of furniture manufacturer Donghia, will bestow a sum of $250,000 to the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (formerly FIDER) over the next five years.

The funds, which will start this year, will help the organization support professional staff and trained volunteers. Currently, over 20,000 students are participating in Interior Design Accreditation-accredited programs. The Council hopes to market the value of accreditation and expand services to interior design programs seeking accreditation.

“New services are designed to increase the number of programs that successfully achieve accreditation,” says Kayem Dunn, executive director. “In the end, students will have a greater choice of quality programs.”

The Council for Interior Design Accreditation is an independent, non-profit, accrediting organization, which sets standards and evaluates interior design education programs. Currently, the organization has 148 accredited programs across the U.S. and Canada.