Application Requirements

Application Requirements

To apply for a SparkForce scholarship, you must meet the following criteria:

Eligibility Criteria:

• Applicants must be pursuing a degree or certification in one of the approved fields of study.
• Applicants must be enrolled or planning to enroll in a manufacturing-related program during the semester for which they are applying.
• Applicants must be full-time students taking 12 or more credit hours, or part-time students taking at least 6 credit hours while working.
• Minimum GPA is 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) for community, trade, or technical college students, or 3.0 for university students.

Application Submission:

• Complete and submit an online application.
• Provide a high school or college transcript from the school where a full semester was most recently completed. Transcripts may be uploaded with the application, mailed, or sent electronically via services such as Parchment or National Student Clearinghouse. Only transcripts received with the application or postmarked by the deadline will be accepted.
• Mail transcripts to:
  SparkForce Foundation
  2135 Point Boulevard
  Elgin, IL 60123
  Ensure ample time for delivery.

Scholarship Program Guidelines

• Annual award amounts and the number of scholarships are determined by the SparkForce Board of Directors. The board may also introduce new scholarship categories or revise the approved fields of study at its discretion.
• Eligible applications are reviewed and scored by a committee comprised of volunteer members, donors, and industry partners from the manufacturing sector.
• Scholarship funds will be sent directly to the financial aid department of the recipient’s school. Funds will not be mailed to applicants, their parents, or department faculty.
• Scholarship funds can be used to cover tuition, school fees, books purchased through the college store, and required tools or equipment such as PPE (if available for purchase through the college store). Funds cannot be used for housing, meals, or costs unrelated to the program.
• With written approval from SparkForce, funds may be held for future use beyond the school year in which it was awarded.
• Scholarship recipients must notify SparkForce of any changes to their mailing address, phone number, or email address. Updates can be sent to [email protected] or reported by calling (815) 399-8700.
• SparkForce will maintain records of all scholarship fund donations and disbursements.
• Staff, directors, and officers of FMA, FMAC, SparkForce, or members of SparkForce selection committees, as well as their immediate family members, are not eligible to apply.
• SparkForce reserves the right to investigate and recover funds in cases of suspected misuse.