The Arkansas Funeral Directors Association Scholarship Fund is established by the Arkansas Funeral Directors Association and funded by contributions from its members and from others who desire to contribute. Awards of scholarships will be made based on merit, need, and scholastic achievements. It is intended for qualified students who plan to complete their education in an accredited mortuary science school and serve the public in their chosen profession in the state of Arkansas. Scholarships are awarded at the sole discretion of the scholarship committee.

Any person who is currently an apprentice, has satisfactorily completed the apprenticeship program for either funeral directors or embalmers, or a current student of an accredited mortuary science school is eligible to apply for a scholarship. This scholarship is intended for use in partially defraying expenses incurred while in attendance at an accredited school of mortuary science.

The scholarship award is for a one to two year period based on eligibility and is distributed in the amount of between $500 and $1000 per eligible semester.

Applicants must be a full-time student with at least 12 hours per semester. If an applicant applies with an Associates or Bachelor’s degree, that will be taken into consideration with the number of required hours per semester. Awards shall be paid on January 15th for the prior Fall semester and on July 15th for the prior Spring semester since the Scholarship is paid in arrears to reimburse the student. The student’s preceptor must sign off for the award to be paid to the student each semester. If the student passes the National Board Exam within three months after graduating the Scholarship Fund will pay for the cost of the exam. Up to five scholarships may be awarded per year.

 Applicants must submit the following documents with the application form:

1. Transcript of high school grades for grades 9-12, or a General Education Development (GED) certificate
2. A statement of 200 words or less setting forth the goals the applicant has in relationship to funeral service and how he/she plans to accomplish those goals. The statement shall become property of the Scholarship Fund, with editorial and publication rights reserved for the Scholarship Fund. Duplicates will not be made available to the applicant.
3. Two letters of recommendation from either the funeral home for which the apprenticeship is being served or the institution for which the student is enrolled.

The following minimum qualifications are hereby established in order that a scholarship award be made.

1. Applicants are an active apprentice or complete the Funeral Service Apprenticeship requirements contained in the Arkansas Funeral Service Act, or its successor.
2. Applicants have graduated from High School or hold a General Education Development (GED) Certificate.
3. Applicants must have been a resident of Arkansas for at least the last immediately preceding year.
4. Applicants agree to work in the Funeral Service in Arkansas for at least 3 years, immediately after completion of the course of instruction for which the scholarship was awarded. Applicants must agree to repay the scholarship award if they fail to do so.
5. Applicants must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA.
6. Scholarships will be paid to the applicant that attends any school accredited for Funeral Science either in state or out of state and for either in-person or online course studies.
7. Amounts between $500.00 and $1000.00 per semester may be awarded.
8. Applicants must agree to repay the award in the event they are disenrolled for any reason.

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