2019 Diversity Scholarship
The NRPA Diversity Scholarship (up to 2) supports individuals from historically underrepresented groups in the parks and recreation community as well as those that demonstrate outstanding contributions serving diverse communities with hopes of engaging their interest in future leadership roles within the association. Conference registration will be complimentary, travel stipend will be provided, and hotel expenses will be reimbursed.
Deadline for application submission is March 29, 2019
Eligibility Criteria:
- Must be a current member of NRPA.
- May be a professional or advocate. Specific qualifications vary (see below).
- Must be an individual from an underrepresented group in the park and recreation community; and/or demonstrate outstanding current or continuing contributions serving diverse communities, specifically related to parks and recreation programs and services.
- Must attend the 2019 NRPA Annual Conference in Baltimore, MD, September 24-26, 2019.
- May only apply for one fellowship or one scholarship per year.
- Prior Diversity Scholarship or Young Professional Fellowship recipients are not eligible.
Professional
- Currently employed in parks, recreation and leisure services.
- Demonstrates potential leadership in the field of parks and recreation as evidenced by work and volunteer history.
Advocate
- May be an elected official; an appointed, non-paid official; or volunteer.
- Demonstrates a history of support of public parks and recreation and demonstrates potential leadership in the field as evidenced by volunteer history.
Scholarship Commitment:
- Attendance at the 2019 NRPA Conference in Baltimore, MD, September 24-26, 2019.
- Active engagement with a mentor who currently serves in a leadership role within NRPA.
Required Materials:
- Resume (professionals) or biography (advocates) providing examples of contributions relevant to the criteria of this scholarship.
- Answers to essay questions
- Two letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with contributions relevant to the criteria for this scholarship.
- Professionals - one (1) letter from a supervisor and one (1) letter from a colleague or advocate knowledgeable of your job performance.
- Advocates - one (1) letter from a park and recreation professional and one (1) letter from another professional or fellow advocate, both knowledgeable of your contributions to public parks and recreation.
Application Instructions:
- All applications must be received by NRPA no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on March 29, 2019.
- Applicant may only use this official application form.
- All supplemental materials must be submitted electronically in either Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format.
- Application is automatically disqualified if it does not meet criteria or submission instructions.
- This format has a save and continue feature that is located at the bottom of the question pages.
For more information, contact the NRPA Awards Programs at (703) 858-2196 or awards@nrpa.org.