Scholarship Fund Seeks Applications & Donations

The BWI Scholarship Fund has completed the process of registering with the IRS as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit entity, and is now able to accept applications and donations. The goal of the scholarship program in its first year is to award at least one scholarship of $2,000 to a deserving student, helping a young man or woman to pursue a career in boating journalism.

Applications for the BWI Scholarship Fund which will honor undergraduate college students who demonstrate a passion for the field of boating media, may be downloaded at https://www.bwi.org/downloads/scholarship/BWI-Scholarship-App-19.pdf. They will will be accepted through January 15, 2019.

The Scholarship Fund is now able to accept contributions from active members, associate members and supporting members. Members of the scholarship committee will be reaching out to select BWI supporting members in an effort to obtain a “Title Sponsor,” for whom the inaugural scholarship award will be named with a donation of $5,000.

“We are excited about this program and what it can mean to the future of boating journalism,” said Alan Jones, BWI President and Executive Editor of Boating World magazine. “Our industry needs effective communicators who can share their passion for boats and the boating lifestyle. This is a first step in what we believe will be a growing effort to bring new people and fresh ideas to our business.

“Just how big this grows and how many scholarships we can award remains to be seen. We’ve already had donation pledges from individual members and interest from key marine manufacturers,” added Jones.

BWI members in good standing are encouraged to nominate candidates for scholarship consideration. More information will be provided about title sponsors/contributors and the nomination/application process. Questions and comments can be directed to Robert Beringer, robertberinger@yahoo.com.