Scholarships

Goal

The Scholarship Program provides a means for low-income youth to initiate membership and establish themselves at Knox Makers without financial hardship. Scholarships target budding makers from 16 to 24 years old.

Funding Sources

Donations to the Scholarship Program will be gratefully accepted from anyone, but our focus is on soliciting businesses and the general public. Donations may be made singly or on an ongoing basis (eg, via PayPal subscription). Donations are tax deductible and tax letters will be made available to donors upon request.

Term and Value

Scholarships span six months ($300 @ $50/mo) and include a $300 gift certificate which can be used to buy class tickets and material from Zone stores, for a total value of $600.

Availability

On July 1st of each year, the value of the Scholarship Fund is assessed. For each $600 available, one scholarship becomes available. If the scholarship goes unawarded, the funds continue to accumulate.

Nominators

The Board of Directors appoints nominators from local educational institutions. When scholarships become available, they are divided among the nominators.

Beneficiaries

Beneficiaries are selected by nominators on the basis of their interest, promise, and need.

Onboarding

Scholarship recipients must follow the standard path to membership – by filling in the Intent to Join form, attending a New Member Onboarding session, completing a probationary period, and being voted in. Since the scholarship satisfies the first month’s dues, the probationary period begins when the recipient first visits the Knox Makers workshop.

Unsuccessful Applications and Ghost Members

If the nominee’s membership vote is unsuccessful or if they are non-participatory, the remaining value of their scholarship reverts to the scholarship fund.

Privacy

Numbers of scholarships available and awarded will be reported to the Knox Makers membership, but the identities of the recipients will be kept private.