I.  Objective of Scholarship Fund/Awards

The objective of the ASA Chapter Scholarship Fund is to give chapters with limited financial resources, or chapters that have not yet committed funds to national meetings, an opportunity to send representatives to national meetings.

The aim of the program is for the representatives who are given scholarships to convey the value of national meetings and national participation to their chapters. Once this value is understood, it is hoped that the chapters will plan and budget on their own to attend as many national meetings as possible. The ultimate goal of the scholarship program is for all chapters to be represented at national meetings.

II.  Fundraising

The scholarship is funded through donations made when individuals register for SUBExcel, Board of Directors, and other meetings.  Per the direction of the ASA Board of Directors (June 2020), Additional fundraising is allowed for this program during ASA meetings.

III.  Rules/Guidelines for Awarding Scholarship

1.      A working group comprised of the chair and immediate past chair (or their designees) of the Executive Directors’ Council, ASA Treasurer, and one ASA Board member to be recruited by ASA Staff or the ED Council Chair will evaluate the completed applications and award the scholarships. The decisions of the working group are final.

2.      Applicants, or representatives from the applicant’s chapter, may not be on the working group for the event for which they are applying.

3.      . Scholarship results must be announced to award recipients and to those who are declined no later than 30 days prior to the event.

4.      Scholarships may be awarded up to the amount that is available in the fund.

5.      Executive Directors are eligible to apply for scholarship funds to attend the SUBExcel.

6.      Officers, or chapter-board recommended members, are eligible to apply for scholarship funds to attend SUBExcel

7.      Scholarships will be awarded no more than two (2) times to any one individual within a 10-year period.   - Full scholarships (registration, airfare and hotel) will be awarded to an Executive Director no more than one (1) time.

         - Full scholarships (registration, airfare and hotel) will be awarded to an officer, or chapter-board recommended member, no more than one (1) time for SUBExcel

         - Partial scholarships can be awarded to a recipient up to two (2) times if the individual has not received any full scholarships.

8.      Prioritizing Applicants:

            1) New executive directors

            2) Executive directors

            3) First-time participants

            4) First time scholarship applicants

            A.     New executive directors will take priority over all other applicants. (New is defined as in the position for less than one year, and not having previously attended SUBExcel.                 

            B.     Executive director applicants will be considered over officer, or chapter-board recommended member, applicants.

            C.     Applicants who have never attended the event will be considered over applicants who have previously attended.

            D.     First time scholarship applicants will be considered over applicants who have previously received a scholarship.

            E.      Applicants who will not be able to attend the event without receiving a scholarship will be considered over applicants who will attend with or without receiving a scholarship.

            F.      A copy of the most recent Chapter Annual Self-Evaluation will be used in determining the need of the chapter. Applicants from chapters that score lower on their Self-Evaluations will be considered over applicants from chapters that score higher (This does not apply when the applicant is an ED who has never attended the event).

9.     The requested balance statement will be used to help determine the financial need of the association. Applicants from chapters that are struggling financially will be considered over applicants from chapters that have a “healthy” financial statement. There is no pre-determined definition of “struggling” or “healthy”; that determination will be left to the working group. (This does not apply when the applicant is an ED who has never attended the event).

10.    Travel expenses may be awarded as follows:

         - Plane/train fare will be reimbursed up to economy class with 21-day advance purchase.

- Auto expense will be reimbursed per the IRS standard mileage rate for mileage to and from the event from home

11.    Hotel room will be reimbursed up to the daily ASA rate at the meeting hotel.

12.    When needed, the working group agrees to assist staff with follow-up to recipients who have not turned in the agreed upon reports after the event (see “Scholarship Recipients Must:” in submission rules.)

13.    Scholarship funds will not be used to cover the cost of activities not included in the main SUBExcel registration fee.

14.    No funds will be dispersed prior to completion of the submission rules (see “Scholarship Recipients Must:” in submission rules.)

15.    If the recipient does not comply with submission of agreed reports, etc. (see “Scholarship Recipients Must:” in submission rules.) the recipient’s chapter will be invoiced for the amount of the compensated registration fee

IV. Submission Rules

1.      Completed applications are due at ASA headquarters no later than 45 days prior to the event. Incomplete applications or applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

2.      Applications must be accompanied by a copy of the chapter’s most recent balance sheet.

3.      Scholarships awarded to officers, or chapter-board recommended member, are non-transferable. A scholarship awarded to an executive director is only transferable to his/her replacement.

4.      Scholarships will be awarded no more than two (2) times to any one individual:

         a)   Full scholarships (registration, airfare and hotel) can be awarded to a recipient no more than one time for SUBExcel.

         b) Partial scholarships can be awarded to a recipient no more than two (2) times.

5.      Scholarship recipients must:

Attend, sign in and stay for the full duration in an educational program, general session or committee/council/task force meeting in each time slot.

If ED: must attend the ED Council, and SHARE.

a) Write an article for his/her chapter newsletter or prepare and send a special report to the chapter membership; provide a copy to ASA headquarters within 30 days of the ASA meeting.

b) Provide an oral report to his/her chapter’s Board of Directors and/or chapter membership meeting. Provide ASA headquarters with the minutes of the meeting at which the report was provided within 30 days of the ASA meeting.

c) Prepare and submit a report to ASA headquarters no more than 30 days after the meeting. The report must include a list of each program (i.e., educational programs, committee/council/task force meetings), a summary of what was learned, and how the participant intends to use the information to benefit ASA.

d) Use what he/she learns for the benefit of ASA.

e) Submit to ASA headquarters within 30 days of the ASA meeting an expense report with copies of receipts for expenses incurred to be reimbursed as part of the scholarship, (except any scholarship for the registration fee) and all items under “scholarship recipients must: in submission rules

Click here to download the application.