Founded in 2009, the Women in Aerospace (WIA) Foundation, Inc., is a nonprofit, tax-exempt educational organization created with three missions:

1. Increase public awareness of the importance and benefits of the aerospace field.
2. Increase public appreciation for aerospace science and technology.
3. Inspire female students to develop the skill sets required to innovate and assume leadership roles in the development of technology in the aerospace field.

The Foundation partly accomplishes its purpose by providing scholarships to women who study engineering, math or science at the undergraduate level, and thereby (i) encourage women to enter careers in the aerospace field, (ii) expand women's opportunities for leadership in aerospace, and (iii) increase women's visibility in the aerospace community.

To that end, the WIA Foundation will award a $2,000 scholarship per year to a woman who is a rising senior in college studying engineering, math or science, thus encouraging women to enter careers in the aerospace field.

To contribute to the WIA Foundation or for further information, please contact the WIA Foundation at info@womeninaerospacefoundation.org or 202-547-0229.

• To be eligible for the WIA Foundation Scholarship, an applicant must be interested in pursuing a career in the aerospace field and be a rising junior or senior working towards a bachelor’s degree in engineering, math or science.
• An applicant must have completed at least two and a half academic years of full-time college work at the time of application and must be currently enrolled in an accredited college or university in the United States or its territories, and plan to be enrolled in the subsequent academic year.
• Each applicant must have a college grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
• Applicants must be female of any nationality.

• sophomore
• junior
• senior

• US Citizen
• Permanent Resident
• International or Other Visa Status
• Undocumented

The WIA Application is available at https://www.womeninaerospacefoundation.org/foundation/

Application Requirements

• High school and college transcripts
• Two letters of recommendation from a professor, or a supervisor of summer or Co-op work experience, or a supervisor of research work. Recommendations from relatives will not be
  accepted
• 500-1000 word essay responding to the following: “Imagine that you are trying to explain to someone with no interest in aerospace why aerospace is important. How would approach this explanation and what would you say?”

Application Submission Process
One merged PDF that includes the above application materials should be emailed to the following address: info@womeninaerospace.org

Evaluation Process
The WIA Foundation Scholarship is a merit-based competitive award. The WIA Foundation
Scholarship Selection Committee will evaluate applications and select a winner based on the criteria below.

Evaluation Criteria

• Transcripts - 25%
• Recommendation - 25%
• Essay - 50%

Payment of Scholarships
As part of the application process, each scholarship applicant is required to submit a signed scholarship agreement letter, which stipulates that the recipient will use scholarship funds only for her education and will return any unused funds to the Foundation. The Women in Aerospace Foundation, Inc., will confirm the scholarship winner's enrollment in an accredited college or university directly with the institution's registrar. Once the enrollment has been confirmed, the Foundation will pay the scholarship by check directly to the winner(s).

Announcement of Scholarship Winner
The scholarship winners will be notified by email and letter  in July.  The winners will be recognized at the Women in Aerospace Awards Dinner held in the Washington, DC area in October . A press release will be issued with a short description of the winners and her plans for the scholarship, followed by an article in the WIA newsletter. 

For further information, please contact the WIA Foundation at info@womeninaerospacefoundation.org or 202-547-0229.