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The Mission of NWMAF is to promote the participation of women and girls in the martial arts. One way we strive to fulfill that mission is by offering need-based scholarships to our members to assist them in attending women’s or girls’ martial arts events. Scholarship funds are donated by members and scholarship recipients are selected by the Board.
What Scholarships Cover: Scholarships are for direct event costs only. Optional expenses are not covered by scholarship funds. If you have special needs that add to your expenses make sure to explain them in your application. Full scholarships are rarely given, and therefore an important part of your application is to provide a realistic plan to for how you will pay the balance of your expenses.
Scholarship Availability: Available scholarship funds vary from year to year. We do our best to help as many women as possible, but there is no guarantee that every applicant will receive a scholarship.
Scholarship Recipient Obligations: Scholarships carry no on-site work requirement, though recipients are strongly encouraged to volunteer at NWMAF events. We all have something to offer the Federation, and many scholarship recipients have been volunteers before and/or after receiving scholarships. Please give back to NWMAF in whatever way you are able.
Applicants for Special Training Scholarships: If you submit your application for a Special Training scholarship by the deadline you will be eligible for the early registration rate whether you receive an award or not. Please do not register online or send a registration form with your scholarship application – you will receive special registration information when the scholarship awards have been finalized which will allow you to register at the early registration rate even if you are not chosen to receive a scholarship award.
Scholarship Award Criteria: In order to make the scholarship application process as fair as possible, award criteria have been established and are made available to all applicants. You can find the award criteria on the next page of this document.
Scholarship Deadlines
Special Training - including the Self-Defense Instructors’ Conference
- Application Due: April 8 (must be received by this date)
- Notification Made: April 22
Other Events
- Application Due: At least six weeks in advance of the event registration deadline
- Notification Made: Within 3 weeks of application
Scholarship Award Criteria: The Board will consider the following criteria when evaluating scholarship applications. The criteria are evaluated only in the positive. For example, an applicant may receive points for being a long-time member but a new member will not lose points. It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide examples of how they meet the criteria.
- Complete Application – incomplete applications will not be considered
- An individual may not receive a scholarship two years in a row
- Member in Good Standing – only current members who are in good standing are eligible for scholarships
Women who meet one or more of the following categories are given higher consideration during application review:
- Financial Need – women with greater financial need
- Length of NWMAF membership – women who have supported the organization with more years of membership
- First-time ST Attendees – to introduce new women to ST and NWMAF
- Recent ST Attendance – members who have not attended ST in the previous 2 years
- Financial Plan – women who provide realistic plans on how they will pay their balance
- Mothers and Daughters – a mother’s long-term membership or NWMAF service will be considered in her daughter’s application
- Instructors and Students – an instructor’s long-term membership or NWMAF service will be considered in her student’s application
- Diversity – applicants whose age or ethnicity is under-represented in the NWMAF membership or Special Training attendance
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Scholarship Application Guidelines