For More Information: 703.931.6632 scholarships@nmfa.org

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Scholarships are available to all military spouses (active duty, reserve, guard, retired, survivors), read more on Eligibility

Scholarships range from $500 - $2500 Applications are available online from December 1, 2013 – February 3, 2014 Scholarships are made possible by our generous sponsors Scholarships available include:

o Clinical Supervision Scholarships – for  spouses  who  have  a  Master’s  degree  or  higher  in  Counseling, Psychology, Social Work or Psychiatry; scholarship funds are for clinical supervision hours that are required to obtain a clinical licensure in the mental health field

o Degree Seeking Scholarships – for spouses seeking an undergraduate or graduate degree (associate level to post-doctoral)

o High School GED and ESL Scholarships – for spouses seeking GEDs or ESL training o Vocational and Certification Scholarships – for spouses seeking certification through

vocational programs o Licensure Scholarships – for spouses seeking state-issued licensure or re-licensure (ex:

nursing, real estate, teaching) o Spouses of Fallen Scholarships – for spouses who have lost a service member in a

combat/training event post 9/11 o Spouses of Wounded Scholarships - for spouses of service members wounded in a

combat/training event post 9/11 Social Media Posts

Tweets o Don’t  miss  out  on  scholarships  from  @military_family  http://www.militaryfamily.org/our-

programs/military-spouse-scholarships/ #milspouse o Looking for scholarships before heading back to school? Applications open December 1st at

www.militaryfamily.org @military_family #milspouse Facebook posts

o Apply for military spouse scholarships from @The National Military Family Association. Application window is 12/1 – 2/3. All military spouses can apply! Go here: http://www.militaryfamily.org/our-programs/military-spouse-scholarships/ #milspouse

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Spouse education Joanne Holbrook Patton FAQs

The National Military Family Association is the leading nonprofit committed to strengthening and protecting officer and enlisted families in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Public Health Service, and National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. Our 40 years of service and accomplishments have made us a trusted resource for military families and the Nation's leaders. We began in 1969 with a handful of wives bent on ensuring financial security for military widows, and our work still continues. The military has changed dramatically in 40 years, and so have the lives of its families. We keep abreast of issues affecting families, address challenges unique to military life, and protect benefits vital to them -- including families of the deployed, wounded, and fallen. In 2004, we launched our Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse Scholarship Program with only $20,000 in awards to help level the playing field. We had almost 9,000 applicants in 2013, and awarded more than 250 scholarships. To date, we have distributed more than $2.4 million in military spouse scholarships.

In an era when dual-income families are the norm, the challenges of the highly-mobile military lifestyle have a major impact on military families. Research (RAND, 2004) shows that military spouses rank behind their civilian counterparts in educational and  employment  opportunities  and  therefore  are  less  able  to  contribute  to  the  family’s  financial  well  being.  This is due, in large part, to the many personal employment or academic sacrifices military spouses make to  support  service  members’  military  careers. Frequent moves, long service member absences, and child care dilemmas are exacerbated by the distance from  extended  family  and  the  unpredictability  of  service  members’  schedules.  Also,  young  service  members  often marry their wives out of high school or before completing college degrees. These spouses then move too frequently to obtain all credits from one college for a degree, and not all credits are accepted by the next  school.  As  one  spouse  noted,  “I  am  now  faced  with  a  hard  decision  of  staying  behind to finish my degree  or  go  with  my  husband  to  the  new  station  where  I  would  have  to  repeat  classes.” The  same  can  be  said  for  spouses  in  a  field  that  requires  a  professional  license.  As  a  spouse  explains,  “Being  a  nurse married to a military member has had many challenges and benefits. I am grateful that my profession allows me to find employment easily during relocations. The challenge of being a nurse and a military spouse has been licensure and state specific requirements. During my nursing career I have had three different state licenses and worked in six different states. I am grateful to have a wide range of clinical experience, but the challenge  of  maintaining  licensure  is  exhausting  and  costly.”  

Scholarships open for application December 1 – February 3, 2014 Scholarships are $500 - $2500 Scholarships are for the Summer/Fall 2014 –Spring 2015 school year Multiple scholarship categories available Students may apply to all eligible categories Students must reapply each year to be considered eligible More than 275 scholarships awarded last year Scholarships are for educational costs only and cannot be used for prep classes or books

Degree-Seeking Scholarship o Associate  Degrees  or  Bachelor’s  Degrees o Master’s  Degrees  or  Doctorate  Degrees  (includes  M.D.,  J.D.  and  all  PhDs)

Clinical Supervision Scholarship o Master's Degree in Counseling, Psychology, Social Work or Psychiatry required o Seeking clinical licensure in the mental health field o Must be ready to start or have already started clinical supervision hours

Licensure Scholarship o Licensure exams and fees (for licensing only, not for certification)

Vocational and Certification Scholarship o Certification programs, vocational or technical programs

High School GED or ESL Scholarship Wounded and Fallen Scholarships

o Spouses of service members killed or wounded in combat or military training since September 11, 2001.

Must be a military spouse o Spouses of the seven uniformed service are eligible o Must be a spouse of active duty, guard, reserve, retired, wounded or fallen

Scholarship recipients must provide a copy of their marriage license and supporting documentation to verify their military affiliation

Applications are online and available beginning December 1st, 2013. You have until January 31st, 2014 to submit your application.

Within seconds of submitting your application, you will get an automatic reply at the email address you use to create your online  scholarship  account.  Check  your  spam  filter  if  you  don’t  see  it.

Decisions will be made by March 17, 2014. You will receive an email announcement and will be asked to login to scholarship manager to view any awards you have received.

Checks are scheduled to be mailed by June 2014.

Scholarships can be used for High School GEDs, English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes, vocational or technical  certification  programs,  licensing  fees,  and  associate,  bachelor’s,  or  graduate  degree  programs.  Distance learning classes (i.e. online programs) are included.

In  our  program,  “licensures”  are  given  only  by  state  or  government  agencies  to  individuals.  They  are  a  legal  requirement  for  employment  in  certain  fields.  “Certifications”  can  be  given by schools or other programs, and are not a legal requirement for employment in a certain field.

No. Scholarships are for courses taken between June 1, 2014 and July 1, 2015 only.

Yes. The license must be a legal requirement to work in a particular occupation (nursing, social work, lawyer, etc.). The licensing fee must be paid to a government agency.

No. Scholarship funds may only be used for tuition, fees, and school room and board.

Yes. As long as you can email or fax your school's name and mailing address to us by April 1, 2014, you are eligible to apply. If you do not provide your account and school information by April 1, 2014, you are no longer  eligible  for  this  year’s  program.

No. At this time, National Military Family Association scholarships are only for U.S. schools and programs. You may, however, use the funds for U.S. schools and programs that operate overseas.

Yes.

Yes. If your spouse is retired due to years-in-service or a medical retirement, you are eligible.

As long as you are married on April 1, 2014 and your spouse is still serving when we ask for proof, you can apply. If you cannot provide a copy of your marriage license or military affiliation on April 1, 2014, you will not be eligible for a scholarship.

As long as you are married by April 1, 2014, when we ask for proof, you can apply now. If you cannot provide a copy of your marriage license on April 1, 2014, you will no longer be eligible for a scholarship.

No. We do not have a scholarship program for children. Many scholarship programs are available for military children, including the Defense Commissary Agency Scholarships administered by the Fisher House Foundation.

Yes, your privacy is important to us. Your information will be encrypted for security purposes and made available only to the people administering the scholarship program, judging scholarship applications, or maintaining the National Military Family Association website.