Ford Dry Lake Scholarship Program

Over the next three years, AISES will continue to administer $300,000 in scholarship funds on behalf of the NextEra Energy Foundation available to members of 11 participating Arizona and California Indian Tribes pursuing post-secondary educational opportunities. The NextEra Energy-Ford Dry Lake Scholarship Program is designed to enhance educational opportunities for tribal members who are pursuing post-secondary educations at accredited four year colleges/ universities, two-year colleges, or vocational schools.

Applicants may be pursuing degrees/certificates in any academic field or vocational area. This program is NOT limited to STEM fields.

NextEra Energy is committed to solving our energy needs now and in the future with clean technologies, and to encouraging and assisting Native Americans as they pursue education in growth areas of our economy that will meet the needs of future generations. Through these scholarships, one of several Genesis Solar Energy Project Public Outreach activities, NextEra believes that additional skill sets will be brought back to impacted tribal communities and ensure that these communities benefit from the growing trends in clean energy.

For the 2015-2016 academic year, scholarships will be awarded to students pursuing post-secondary educations at accredited four year colleges/universities, two-year colleges, or vocational schools.

Tribal Membership Requirement

Applicants for this scholarship MUST be a member of one of the following 11 participating tribal communities in the Ford Dry Lake Area:

Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians
Cahuilla Indian Tribe
Chemehuevi Indian Tribe
Cocopah Indian Tribe
Colorado River Indian Tribes
Fort Mojave Indian Tribe
Morongo Band of Mission Indians
Quechan Indian Tribe
Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians
Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians
Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indian

Scholarship Details:

Each selected scholar is eligible for a maximum amount of $30,000 in Scholarship Awards which are payable in installments of $5,000 per semester, up to a maximum of 6 semesters or until the student graduates, whichever occurs first. Funding will be provided directly to the scholar. Funds may only be used to cover tuition, books and living expenses for the recipient’s vocational, undergraduate or graduate program. Scholars will only apply once, and will continue to receive the award, as long as they maintain a 2.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale), acquire and maintain an AISES membership, and are considered full-time students (12 credit hours per semester or meet their school’s definition of a full-time student). There is no specific major or field of study requirement, however, the student must be enrolled in a program leading to a degree or certificate.

Eligibility Requirements:

Only applicants meeting the following requirements will be considered for this program:

A) Student must have a 2.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or higher cumulative grade point average (GPA);

B) Must be or will be a full-time student at an accredited four year college/university or a full-time student at a two-year college enrolled in a program leading to an academic degree, or a full-time student enrolled in a vocational program leading to certification; and

C) Must be an existing member of AISES, or join AISES within 30 days of award.

Application Dates The application deadline is May 31, 2015, at 12:00 a.m. PDT. ALL required materials must be submitted by that date. Scholarship recipients will be notified by July 15, 2015.