Masonic Lodges throughout Michigan offer a scholarship to a local student who is planning to attend college or vocational training. Some lodges that raise higher amounts of money for their scholarship fund might choose to give out more than one Masonic scholarship in their areas. The Michigan Masonic Charitable Foundation offers matching scholarship funds up to $1,500 for individual lodges to boost the amount each has to award.
Masonic Scholarship
The Masonic Scholarship is available to high school seniors who are U.S. citizens and have a Masonic Lodge in their community or county. The scholarship is awarded on the basis of solid academic performance and demonstrated leadership skills, according to the Michigan Masonic Charitable Foundation. Many school Websites in the state name the Masonic Scholarship under their list of available scholarships for their students. If no such list exists, a student should ask the school academic counselor if a Masonic scholarship is offered in his area. Although Masons are always men, the scholarship is available to both young women and young men. Depending on the size of the local lodge, scholarships may be anywhere from several hundred dollars up to several thousand. The Michigan Masonic Charitable Foundation allows smaller lodges to award a more significant amount of money by offering a match. In 2007, the MMCF awarded 270 matching grants for school scholarships.The final scholarship amount awarded will be forwarded to the student's chosen college. The student will be awarded a certificate.
Local Masonic Grants
There are 61 Masonic districts in Michigan, and each district has four to six local lodges. Local Masonic lodges are responsible for dispensing the scholarship funds it has raised over the year. Some scholarships may be named for a former local Mason, perhaps a deceased member. Each year, the Masons will likely request applications from local students using local media or school fliers or Websites.
Applications
The scholarship application is five pages long and asks the applicant about things like academic honors and awards, membership in academic and extracurricular organizations, elective courses, favorite and least favorite courses, leadership positions held, employment and financial needs regarding secondary education. Accompanying the application are four letters of recommendation, ACT/SAT test results, a statement of professional or vocational goals and other miscellaneous signatures from the lodge. At least three lodge members are required to review applications, then a vote is taken by all members. Once an amount is approved, the lodge can submit it to the Michigan Masonic Charitable Foundation for a possible match. The deadline for students to submit applications may vary by lodge, but the date will be before March 31.
Tags: Michigan Masonic, Charitable Foundation, Masonic Charitable, Masonic Charitable Foundation, Michigan Masonic Charitable, Local Masonic, scholarship funds
