Employees of companies that support the National Shooting Sports Foundation® at the highest level may apply for education aid through the NSSF Patron Member Scholarship Program. NSSF has made a total of $60,000 in scholarship funding available for a maximum of 25 winning entries.
NSSF is accepting applications in the Patron Member Scholarship Program through 5 p.m. EST on Friday, May 24, 2019.
Scholarships are available only to employees of NSSF Patron Member companies and their family members, (For specific eligibility, refer to the official guidelines.) The scholarship program is one of a number of benefits that Patron Member companies receive from NSSF, the trade association for the firearms industry.
Applicants must be enrolled in, or have been accepted and plan to attend, a college, university or vocational school during the fall 2019 school year. Scholarships are limited to candidates seeking an undergraduate or vocational degree only. The complete rules, applications and scholarship posters are available on this Scholarship Program webpage. NSSF urges applicants to read the rules thoroughly before applying.
The NSSF Patron Member Scholarship requires an essay on one of the following topics:
- If you could identify and use one method for generating new interest in the shooting sports or hunting among the general public, what would it be?
- What makes a good mentor, and why are mentors important for a good introduction to shooting, hunting and firearms safety?
- Concerning maintaining second amendment rights, why is it important to vote in non-presidential elections?
Submitted essays must be in English, typed double-spaced and single-sided on 8.5- by 11-inch paper in 11- or 12-point Times New Roman font, Microsoft Word format. Complete essay may not exceed two pages (not including bibliography). No PDF essays will be accepted; however, the application itself may be submitted in PDF format.
Twenty-five applicants with the highest overall scores will be selected as scholarship prize winners. The applicant with the highest scored essay will earn the grand prize $8,000 scholarship. One first-place prize winner with the second-highest scored essay will receive a scholarship of $5,000. One second-place prize winner with the third-highest scored essay will receive a scholarship of $3,000. The remaining 22 runner-up prize winners will each receive a scholarship of $2,000. NSSF will notify the winners by email by June 12 and then list the recipients on its website after their acceptance.
Posters and application forms will be mailed upon request only. For more information about the NSSF Patron Member Scholarship Program, or to request printed materials, please contact Samantha Hughes, NSSF’s Manager, Member Services, at shughes@nssf.org.
About NSSF
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit www.nssf.org.