The Funeral Service Foundation Is Now Accepting Academic Scholarship Applications, Marking 20 Years of Academic Scholarship Support
Up to 35 scholarships ranging from $2,500-$5,000 USD are available this fall to students of funeral service and military veterans.
Brookfield, Wis. –The Funeral Service Foundation is now accepting academic scholarship applications through November 1 at FuneralServiceFoundation.org, marking its twentieth year of awarding academic scholarships. Up to 35 scholarships ranging from $2,500-$5,000 USD are available to current students of funeral service and military veterans who meet the eligibility criteria.
The Foundation offered its first academic scholarship, the Joseph E. Hagan Memorial Scholarship, in 2002. In the two decades since, additional scholarships were established in memory of Shipley Rose Buckner and Dennis Schoepp, and in honor of Steve Lang and Bob Horn. Memorial Classic Scholarships are funded by tournament proceeds from the annual golf event, and Foundation ’45 Scholarships are awarded in recognition of the Foundation’s founding year, 1945.The Foundation also promotes the Brenda Renee Horn and Steve Mack Memorial Scholarships in partnership with the SCI National Scholarship Program.
Upon the announcement of the scholarship recipients this November, the Funeral Service Foundation will have awarded nearly $660,000 in academic scholarship support to 267 outstanding students of funeral service since 2002.
“Our academic scholarship program has grown exponentially in size and scope over the last two decades, because our donors and board believe that a solid education is the gateway to a fulfilling career in funeral service,” said Funeral Service Foundation Executive Director Lee Wiensch, CAE, CFRE. “We look forward to impacting the educational experience of the next generation of funeral service leaders as we enter into a third decade of scholarship support.”
Academic Scholarships for Students of Funeral Service
Scholarships are open to full- or part-time students in who are in good standing and enrolled in ABFSE- or Canadian-accredited institutions/programs. Candidates must be attending classes and actively pursuing a degree in funeral service at the time of application. Students who are enrolled but have not yet begun coursework at the time of application are not yet eligible to apply for these scholarships. Paid directly to institutions, the scholarships offset the costs associated with tuition, fees, books, and supplies.
Academic Scholarships for U.S. and Canadian Military Veterans
A $5,000 Journey to Serve Scholarship is available this fall to U.S. or Canadian military veterans who are 18 years of age or older at the time of application and who are currently enrolled or accepted into in an ABFSE- or Canadian-accredited funeral service program. The $2,500 Hunter M. Harbeson Memorial Scholarship is also open to U.S. military veterans who are 18 years of age or older at the time of application and who are currently enrolled or accepted into in an ABFSE-accredited funeral service program.
Application Process
Using a common application format, all academic scholarship candidates are required to answer five questions in no more than 250 words per question, and submit a brief video, no longer than two minutes. Military veteran candidates will also be asked to supply an overview of their military service.
Applicants are also required to provide the following support materials by the November 1 deadline:
- Most recent transcripts from the ABFSE- or Canadian-accredited institution
- A letter of good standing from the institution’s registrar, bursar or financial office
- A letter of recommendation from an instructor or program director
Late applications are not accepted. Those who miss the deadline will have the chance to apply again in 2023 from February 1-April 15, and September 15-November 1. Those who have applied in the past but have not been awarded an academic scholarship from the Foundation are encouraged to re-apply.
About the Funeral Service Foundation – FuneralServiceFoundation.org Since 1945, the Funeral Service Foundation has served as the philanthropic voice of the funeral profession and has identified as the charitable arm of the National Funeral Directors Association since 1997. Donors and volunteer leaders profession-wide support the Foundation in its mission of investing in people and programs to strengthen funeral service and lift up grieving communities.
