About the REF

REF Celebrating 41 Years!

The NAA Research and Education Foundation [REF] was founded in 1985 to further the charitable and educational purposes of the National Academy of Arbitrators.  The REF underwrites projects that promote understanding, competence, and integrity in the field of labor and employment arbitration.

Through the years, the REF has supported a variety of education, training, and research activities.  The results of these efforts have appeared in articles, monographs, books, guides, and electronic and other media, and have been presented and discussed at trainings, conferences, and symposia.

The NAA’s Research and Education Foundation supports research and education relevant to labor and employment arbitration. The Foundation welcomes applications for grants of up to $50,000 for any of the following purposes:

• The study and understanding of grievance procedures, the arbitration process and other forms of labor and employment dispute resolution, and the impact of law on these processes.
• The education and training of persons engaged in the resolution of labor-management and employment disputes.  Included are the funding of lecture programs, symposiums, conferences, and training seminars.
• The preparation and publication of books, symposium materials, articles, and audio-visual materials (e.g., videos, websites, CDs) designed to enhance the competence of persons engaged in the arbitration and mediation of labor-management and employment disputes.
• Projects that foster the highest standards of integrity, competence, honor, and character of persons engaged in arbitration and other forms of labor and employment dispute resolution.
•  The preparation of material designed to keep arbitrators and students of labor-management and employment relations abreast of current research into the arbitration process, and the development of procedures or techniques for the resolution of labor and employment disputes in this and in other countries.

Donations can be made to the “NAA Research & Education Foundation” by credit card, check or gifts of stock.  Contact the REF at NAA Operations Center, Ste. 412, Cortland, NY 13045, 607-756-8363, or email researchandeducationfoundation@gmail.com for further information. The REF is organized pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code.

2025 – 2026 Members of the REF Board