About the Natural Stone Foundation

VISION

Helping the stone industry to thrive by increasing natural stone’s market share and ensuring that it is a preferred material in the built environment.  

MISSION

The mission of the Natural Stone Foundation is to serve the natural stone industry by financially supporting initiatives and services important to industry stakeholders.

BACKGROUND

Established in 2017 as a charitable organization to support the promotion of natural stone through research and education provided to the natural stone industry and beyond, the Natural Stone Foundation touches the careers of thousands in the stone industry, design community, and architectural trade. It is funded primarily through donations from individuals, stone companies, and industry associations and corporate contributions from the industry’s leading organizations. The broad support from within the industry enables the Foundation to disburse thousands of dollars for promoting the use of natural stone; educating the consumer, design, and architect communities through research conducted through the association’s authoritative testing lab; and educational and programmatic support of initiatives that advance, strengthen, and propel the industry and its professionals.

The Natural Stone Foundation provides a funding mechanism for key industry initiatives, including:

• Increasing natural stone’s market share
• Supporting globally unified standards
• Combatting confusion between natural and manmade materials
• Educating and inspiring architects and designers to use more natural stone in their projects
• Cultivating future stone industry leaders