Aero Club Foundation of Washington Scholarship

Scholarship America, a nonprofit with a mission to mobilize America through scholarships states that, “Smart investments in postsecondary education can help students, especially those from lower-income families, stay in school and complete their degrees. Because these students are traditionally left out of postsecondary education and experience significant barriers on the path to and through college, the public and private sectors need to partner more aggressively to ensure effective support.”

The importance of engaging more students in science, technology, engineering and math to generate a STEM-ready workforce in aviation is a key underpinning of the Foundation’s mission. We want to ensure that those students with the potential and readiness skills to go to college are not restricted by monetary obstacles.

Eligibility

The recipients of the scholarship will be restricted to individuals who are seeking aviation/aerospace related education with an established objective to achieve a career in the aviation/aerospace industry.

First-time applicants must be a student enrolled in a District of Columbia Metropolitan Area public or charter school, or alumni of that school, who demonstrate a passion for aviation with the intent to pursue an education and career in aviation or aerospace. D.C. Metropolitan area includes the District of Columbia and the following counties: Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Prince George’s and Montgomery.

Previous award recipients will be considered for future scholarships, provided they re-apply and meet the eligibility requirements.

The Aero Club Foundation of Washington prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, political affiliation, or disability.

Awards are limited to a maximum of four per individual, with a maximum of one award per grant year per individual. In future years, applicants must re-apply for consideration as the award of a scholarship for subsequent years is not automatic.

Scholarship funds cannot be used to pay for personal expenses; they must be applied towards college tuition when enrolled in an accredited undergraduate aviation/aerospace degree program, a technical college, aviation maintenance training at a Part 147 AMT school, or professional pilot training at a Part 141 flight training school.

A scholarship award must be used within two years following the date of award and, if unused, must be returned to the Aero Club Foundation of Washington. Scholarship funds will be disbursed to the educational institution, not directly to the student; any unused funds also must be returned to the Aero Club Foundation of Washington.

Verify that the completed application with all supporting materials is submitted by the deadline. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. The application is quite extensive. Do not wait until the last minute!

Candidates do not have to be U.S. citizens, although all scholarship award payments are made in U.S. dollars directly to the educational institution or school.

All applications must be received by March 31.