PMI Founders Scholarship

2021 PMI J. Gordon Davis Founders Scholarship

Summary

In honor of the distinguished service career of the founders of the Project Management Institute, the PMI Board of Directors has established the PMI Founders Scholarship named in honor of the founders of PMI who have recently passed.  This year's scholarship is named after J. Gordon Davis.

The scholarship is open to any student enrolled in a Bachelor’s degree program in project management or a project management related field. The scholarship will be awarded in an amount up to US $2,000. This scholarship is awarded once annually

Eligibility 

• Applicant must be enrolled in a Bachelor’s program in project management or a project management related field of study.
• Student must be enrolled and classified by the university as a full-time student.
• PMI The applicant is not required to be a PMI member.

Not Eligible

• Sitting members of the PMI and PMIEF Board of Directors may not participate in the nomination or evaluation process and are ineligible to receive this award.
• Current PMI staff, consultants and family members are ineligible. 
• Individuals who have failed to comply with PMI policies and procedures, including but not limited to PMI's Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, will not be considered.

Application Materials

• Transcripts from the applicant’s current or most recently attended college or university. Transcripts that have been downloaded, screenshot, or printed and scanned directly from the applicant’s college or university website are acceptable for the submission of the scholarship application. However, PMI must receive official transcripts directly from the student’s university before scholarship funds can be released to scholarship recipients.  
• Curriculum vitae must accompany the application.
• Two reference letters must accompany the application.
• Short Essay: Please explain the importance of project management in your academic studies and how you plan to incorporate a practical application for use in your future career (750 word limit).

Selection Process for Academic Founders Scholarships

PMI volunteers will review all applications accompanied by the required supporting materials.

Applicants will be scored using a point system based on the quality of the content of the essay, the student’s academic performance, review of the letters of recommendation and the alignment of a candidate’s coursework to the field of project management.

All decisions by the volunteer reviewers are final, and any attempts by applicants to lobby or persuade the committee during the process will result in immediate disqualification.

*All scholarship finalists are screened against the Specially Designated Nationals List (SDN) of the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Award Guidelines for Academic Scholarships

To be eligible for scholarship payment, all applicants for academic scholarships must provide written proof of their enrollment in the program for which a scholarship is sought before the funds are released. Proof of enrollment must be sent directly to PMI from the college or university, where the applicant plans to use the scholarship, and generally takes the form of a letter from the registrar’s office. Instructions for submission of proof of enrollment will be provided to successful applicants. Proof of enrollment must document the following:

• Enrollment in the academic application year must be documented
• Number of credits for which the student is enrolled must be included in the submission.
• Student enrollment status must be full time.
• Level of study is undergraduate.
• Program of study must be identified.

The scholarship is for one (1) academic year. The academic year for which the scholarship is provided will be identified in the award.

Successful applicants will be awarded only one (1) PMI scholarship, grant or award per academic year. This is inclusive of academic scholarships, professional development scholarships and awards

Unless specified otherwise, applicants may submit scholarship applications for each academic year during which they will be attending an accredited institution in a degree-granting program.

Notice of Academic Scholarship

• Initial notice to scholarship finalists will be sent via email to the address provided on the application.  
• PMI will ask for final enrollment verification, educational records, and signature for promotional release documents. The scholarship is not officially awarded until finalists return the required documents.
• Final notice of awarded scholarships will be sent to each finalist via email and postal mail, where possible, after completion of the verification process.

Applicants who are awarded an academic scholarship will have three weeks from the date of notification to submit proof of enrollment and tax forms. If documentation is not submitted before the deadline, the scholarship offer will be withdrawn. Exceptions to this policy will be considered on a case-by-case basis if extenuating circumstances are demonstrated.

The scholarship payment will be made by check and sent on behalf of students who are studying in the U.S. at the university address provided during the verification process; students studying outside of the U.S. will receive the payment by wire transfer or other accommodations.