Scholarships

Chair: Paula Mastroianni

Selection Committee

  • Mella Castner
  • Vi Leggett
  • Pam Valentine
  • Vondea Sheaffer

Contact Scholarship Committee




The mission of AFP is to foster the development and growth of fundraising professionals, and the AFPNEO Chapter dedicates its resources to that mission by providing several scholarship opportunities throughout the year.

Scholarship Policy

AFPNEO uses a portion of our net assets to offer scholarships for fundraising professionals in Northeast Ohio. This provides every member with the opportunity to increase their professionalism, knowledge, and skills by attending professional development meetings and conferences at both the local and national levels.  

 Scholarship Procedures

  1. To be considered for an award, each applicant must submit a completed application prior to the deadline.
  2. The scholarship committee will review all applications and make award decisions. Both winners and alternates may be selected.
  3. Awards may be for the full amount requested or a portion thereof.
  4. Payment of an award is conditional on the recipient fulfilling the obligation for which the award is made. If a recipient cannot use the scholarship, it may be awarded to an alternate.

Scholarship Application Criteria

  1. Applicants must be employed by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization/registered charity located within AFPNEO's geographic service area (northeast Ohio).
  2. Candidates should demonstrate a financial need. Strong consideration will be given to those responsible for paying their own membership dues or to those employed by organizations with constrained budgets.
  3. Only one individual from an organization may be selected for any one scholarship.
  4. Applicants must not have received any other chapter scholarship during the previous calendar year.
  5. Award recipients may be asked to serve on one committee within one year of receiving the scholarship.
  6. Award recipients will be asked to demonstrate the impact of their scholarship (i.e. brief presentation at a chapter professional development event or short written testimonial for the newsletter, annual report, etc.).
  7. Scholarship recipients will be required to complete an evaluation within one year of receiving the scholarship.

Scholarship Application

For more information, please contact Jennifer Hamilton, Chapter Administrator at info@afpneo.org.

 

NEW! AFPNEO DIVERSITY SCHOLAR SCHOLARSHIP

Eligibility: Members or Non-Members
Deadline: Apply Anytime

The Association of Fundraising Professionals Northeast Ohio Chapter (AFPNEO) is proud to offer the Diversity Scholar Scholarship, a new opportunity designed to support the professional growth of fundraisers from underrepresented communities. This scholarship reflects our chapter’s commitment to AFP Global’s principles of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) and our ongoing efforts to build a welcoming and representative fundraising community.

The Diversity Scholar Scholarship will be awarded to an individual whose background, experience, or leadership demonstrates a commitment to advancing diversity within the fundraising profession. AFPNEO is especially interested in increasing representation among our chapter membership across a range of dimensions, including—but not limited to—race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, geographic location, religious traditions, career stage, and professional background.

Recipients of this scholarship will join a network of changemakers working to create a more inclusive and equitable philanthropic sector. Through this opportunity, AFPNEO aims to elevate voices that reflect the broad spectrum of the communities we serve and to support the development of fundraising professionals who bring diverse perspectives and lived experiences to their work.

MEMBERSHIP SCHOLARSHIP

Eligibility: Members or Non-Members
Deadline: Apply Anytime

Both members and non-members may apply for the National Membership scholarship. The scholarship will cover the recipient’s national dues for one year (up to a $250 value), and the recipient is expected to pay the local chapter’s $50 dues. All scholarships granted to current members will become effective once their current membership has expired. Apply for this scholarship anytime. The committee will review the applications on a bi-monthly basis.

In addition to the criteria above:

  • Applicant must submit a letter of support from a current AFPNEO member and/or their organization's executive director.
  • Applicants must choose between the Professional, Young Professional, and Small Nonprofit membership categories. Click here to see the descriptions of each level.
  • Membership scholarship recipients who attend at least three meetings and serve on a committee within one year of receiving the scholarship will receive a 50% membership scholarship the following year.

CHAMBERLAIN SCHOLARSHIP

Eligibility: Members 
Deadline: January 31, 2025

The AFP Foundation offers one Chamberlain Scholarship per chapter for a member who has never attended AFP ICON. AFP ICON 2025 will take place April 27-29, 2025 in Seattle, Washington.

The Chamberlain Scholarship program honors Ralph E. Chamberlain, CFRE. Mr. Chamberlain had a long and distinguished career of service to the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), beginning in the 1960s when the organization was formed as the National Society of Fund Raisers (NSFR), through the late 1970s when the name was changed to the National Society of Fund Raising Executives (NSFRE), and until his death in 1999. Mr. Chamberlain’s dedication to the organization we now know as AFP never faltered in his long volunteer career with the Association. Because of his long-time support of the Foundation’s annual fund and generous planned gift, the AFP Board of Directors renamed their Conference Scholar Program in 2000 to honor Mr. Chamberlain’s memory and commitment to the Association.

AFPNEO will select their Chamberlain Scholar based on the following criteria:

  • Candidate is employed as a fundraising professional or, if candidate is an executive director, a substantial amount of time must be devoted to fundraising.
  • Candidate has never attended an AFP or NSFRE International Conference on Fundraising as a registered participant (unless as a member of the Conference Host Committee) and is enthusiastic to attend the full conference as scheduled.
  • Candidate must agree to complete an online evaluation form about his or her experience at AFP ICON.
  • Only one individual from any local organization or institution may be selected.
  • Candidate must be willing to share their AFP ICON experience with their chapter after the conference has concluded. This can be accomplished through a report to chapter leadership, a contribution to the chapter newsletter, or an alternate contribution identified by chapter leadership.

Fill out your Scholarship Application today!