Financial Planning Association® (FPA®) is the community that fosters the value of financial planning and advances the financial planning profession. FPA’s strategy to accomplish its objectives involves welcoming all those who advance the financial planning process.
In this spirit, the FPA Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee established the Diversity Scholarship Program to assist with its mission to develop strategies to raise awareness and promote inclusiveness of diverse communities. In so doing, FPA strives to increase professional opportunities for the widest spectrum of people so that all may join and thrive in the financial planning profession.
The FPA Committee, in coordination with our funding partners, has developed the following guidelines in establishing our merit-based scholarship program to sponsor Diversity Scholarship award recipients to attend an FPA National Conference, collaborate with the FPA community and promote inclusivity and creativity within the financial planning profession.
Frequently Asked Questions: What do the conference scholarships include?
Conference registration fee
One year paid individual membership in the Financial Planning Association
One year free electronic subscription to the Journal of Financial Planning
One year paid dues to an FPA chapter of the winner’s choice
One year paid local chapter monthly meeting fees.
Who is eligible to apply for the conference scholarships? Financial services students and professionals willing to demonstrate and act upon an intense desire to affect the diversity of the financial planning profession, including but not limited to:
Raising awareness of the profession in diverse communities
Serving diverse communities with financial planning and/or
Increasing professional opportunities for diverse communities within the financial planning profession.
What is expected of conference scholarship recipients? Attendance of conference sessions, exhibits and appropriate extracurricular programs
Participation in local FPA chapter events during one year paid FPA membership
Written testimonial regarding the scholarship program and the winner’s experience after they’ve attended the conference.
Additional information: The decisions to award these scholarships shall be made at the full discretion of the FPA Diversity Committee Scholarship Subcommittee or other body duly appointed by the FPA Board of Directors. All applicants are responsible for reading, understanding and abiding by all of the scholarship program guidelines
Submission: Complete application must include the following items:
Diversity Scholarship Application
Two letters of recommendation from either professors or financial services professionals on original letterhead or email format clearly listing author’s name, position, company and contact phone information.
Scholarship submissions must be complete (both letters of recommendation and application) and received at FPA by the submission deadline. Submissions received after the deadline, or still incomplete will not be forwarded to the Selection Subcommittee. Items postmarked on the submission deadline and not received on time will not be considered.