Scholarships

Support for Members with Limited Resources to Access Essential Training

The Michigan Economic Developers Association (MEDA) Scholarship Program is designed to help MEDA members with limited resources continue to develop their professional skills in the area of economic development.

Scholarships will be provided for members to attend educational and training programs that they would not otherwise be able to attend due to financial restrictions.

Scholarship Guidelines

Who is Eligible – Scholarships are available to any MEDA member, both active and associate, in good standing, working in an organization with a yearly budget of $500,000 or less.

Types of Training – Scholarships will be provided for education/training specifically in the area of economic development (training outside of economic development will not be accepted). Priority will be given to MEDA training. Requests made for training outside of MEDA will only be excepted if MEDA does not offer the same type of training.

Size of Scholarship Awards – A maximum of $750 per person per fiscal year can be awarded. A limit of one scholarship per person per year can be awarded. A limit of one scholarship per organization per year can be awarded. Total amount of scholarship funds available in any given year will be $2,500.

Matching Requirements – A match from the scholarship recipient is required for all scholarships. MEDA will provide 75% of the program costs for MEDA training. A 50% match will be provided for training offered by organizations other than MEDA.

Volunteer Requirement – Scholarships are only provided to individuals who have completed at least one year of active participation on a MEDA committee or taskforce. If the applicant is a new member of MEDA (1 year or less) and has not already joined a committee or taskforce, they should indicate their volunteer preference and serve on the committee or taskforce for at least a year. Participation must be on MEDA committees/taskforces. Other economic development-related organizations will not count.

Program Costs – MEDA scholarships will be available for program (registration) costs only. Scholarships will not cover travel, hotel, meals or other misc. expenses of attending a program.

Supporting Documentation – You must include with your application any information regarding any program that is not a MEDA program. This includes registration information, agendas, program books, or any other supporting documentation discussing program content.

How Scholarships are Awarded – A point system will be used to make awards based on organizational size, number of years within economic development, and participation in the governance of MEDA (serving on MEDA Board, committees, or task forces). Applications with the highest number of points will receive priority. Also taken into consideration will be how long applicants have been a member of MEDA and how the training will professionally benefit the recipient.

Application Due Dates – Applications are due the last day of the month proceeding the MEDA Board meetings.

Scholarship Approval – The Review Board at the bimonthly MEDA Board meeting will approve scholarships. All decisions by the Review Board are final.

Reporting – MEDA Scholarship recipients will submit a document after the program telling the MEDA Board of Directors how attending the program was valuable towards their career in economic development.

Note: Scholarships will not be approved retroactively for programs already attended.