Our Scholarships

Award: $1,000, paid directly to the recipient’s university financial aid office. By the end of the calendar year, recipients submit a short report on how the scholarship helped them.

Who can apply. Requirements depend on your field of study.

Social work students must:

–         Be enrolled in an accredited Bachelor Master of Social Work program located in Colorado or Wyoming

–         Have an interest in entering the social work profession in Colorado or Wyoming

–         Be in their second quarter or semester or beyond at the time of application

–         Have earned a GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale

–         Demonstrate financial need

Education students must:

–         Be enrolled in an accredited Bachelor or Master program in education, teaching, or teacher preparation, located in Colorado or Wyoming

–         Have an interest in entering the teaching profession in Colorado or Wyoming

–         Have an interest in teaching students at the K-12 level

–         Be in their second quarter or semester or beyond at the time of application

–         Have earned a GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale

–         Demonstrate financial need

Preference for rural service

We give preference to applicants who plan to serve rural communities:

•          Colorado: counties classified as rural or rural resort by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA).

•          Wyoming: any county other than Laramie or Natrona, per the Wyoming Economic Analysis Division.

Not sure about your county? Email us at applications@helpingprofessionsef.org, and we’ll confirm.

What to submit:

1.        Application form. Download it above.

2.        Enrollment verification from your registrar, printed no more than 7 days before you apply.

3.        Unofficial transcript.

4.        Current resume listing work, volunteer, and internship experience.

5.        An 8- to 12-minute video that covers:

• The life experiences that led you to this field

• Your professional experience (work, volunteer, internship)

• Your financial need and how this award would help

• Your personal and professional goals after graduation

• Two signed, dated letters of recommendation, emailed by your references to applications@helpingprofessionsef.org. Letters from professors or employers are preferred.
  

Can’t record a video? If a disability, lack of equipment, or unreliable internet makes a video difficult, submit a 300- to 500-word essay on the same four topics instead.

Key dates:

July 30 of each year- Applications due. We review only complete, on-time applications.

August 10 of each year - We notify recipients by email of the outcome of their application.

August 15 of each year- We send funds to recipients’ university Financial Aid office.

Practicum Stipends

Practicums and field placements are where students become professionals, but most are unpaid. Our stipends of up to $500 help students cover rent, gas, and childcare while they learn.

Award: Up to $500 paid directly to the student

Who can apply:

• Education students completing an unpaid practicum or student-teaching placement in a K–12 school, or social work students completing an unpaid field placement

• Enrolled in an accredited program located in Colorado or Wyoming

• The placement must be located in Colorado or Wyoming

Rural preference

As with our scholarships, we prefer students placed in rural communities (see our definition of “rural” above).

What to submit:

• A short letter describing your placement and your financial need

• A placement confirmation letter from your program or site supervisor that shows:

  • the name and full address of the placement school or agency, including the county

  • your start and end dates

  • that the placement is unpaid

Deadline: Rolling. We accept letters year-round and review them at the end of each month.

Share Your Story

Every recipient of a scholarship, stipend, or classroom support records a short video (30 seconds to 2 minutes). Tell us about yourself, your passion for your field, your long-term professional goals, and the impact the award has made. We share these videos on our Impact page and on social media.

Our Commitment

The Helping Professions Education Fund is committed to fairness and equal opportunity in all of its programs, including scholarships, practicum stipends, and classroom support. We do not discriminate in eligibility, selection, award amounts, or any other aspect of our programs on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, marital status, familial status, veteran or military status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

Recipients are selected using the published criteria for each program: field of study, enrollment, academic standing, financial need, the applicant’s materials and, for scholarships, a preference for applicants who plan to serve rural communities.

We welcome applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation to apply, such as submitting a written essay instead of a video, please contact us at applications@helpingprofessionsef.org.

The Helping Professions Education Fund is a 501(c)(3) public charity, EIN 41-3836529.

Questions?

Email applications@helpingprofessionsef.org or use our contact form. We will reply within 2 business days.