IBEW Founders' Scholarship

What you will need

• ✓ The printable Founders' Scholarship application form (your Local Union, card number, employer and job classification)
• ✓ A complete résumé covering your education, work history, military service, honours and awards, and union, civic, community or religious involvement
• ✓ Everything emailed to Scholarship@ibew.org or mailed before May 1

About this award

You can receive up to $200 per semester credit hour (or $134 per trimester credit hour) toward your studies. The maximum amount you can receive is $24,000 per person over a period that cannot exceed eight years. This is a scholarship, not a loan, so you do not have to pay it back. This is for you if you are a working member of the IBEW (the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers – the union representing electrical workers) in Canada or the United States. It is not for members' children. The deadline for each year's round is May 1, though applications are accepted year-round. Email your application and materials to Scholarship@ibew.org or mail them to the IBEW Founders' Scholarship Committee in Washington, DC. All applicants are notified. An independent selection committee of academic, professional and community representatives picks the winners, based on academic achievement and potential, character, leadership, social awareness and career goals. Ask the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers during your application how the money will reach you — some awards pay students directly, others apply funds to tuition. Confirm this so you can plan your cash flow. Once you win, you must start your studies in the term right after the award or in January of the following year, and send your grades each term with a progress sheet. After your first calendar year, a paper of at least 1,000 words on a labour topic is due by August 1 each year. The scholarship is forfeited if you withdraw or fail to meet your school's graduation requirements.

Who qualifies

You must be a working member of the IBEW (the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers – the union representing electrical workers) in Canada or the United States; the scholarship is not for members' children. You must have been in continuous good standing, with dues paid, for the 4 years before May 1 of the scholarship year, or be a charter member of a local union. You must be pursuing an associate’s, bachelor’s, or postgraduate degree at any accredited college or university in a field that will further the electrical industry, as decided by the scholarship administrator.

This is what the award's official page said when we last checked. Rules change, so confirm on the award's official page before you apply.

• ✓ Open to undergraduate or graduate students

How to apply

1. 1

   Read the award's official page

   Check you meet every requirement, and note each document they ask for.

2. 2

   Submit your application

   Save a copy, and submit at least a day before the deadline shown above.

Tips for applying

• MembershipAvoid providing outdated membership details. Instead, ensure your current standing as a working member is clearly documented. Have your membership ID and current employment status ready for the application.

Questions students ask

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