Scholarship Program Information

Purpose

The purpose of the Incline Friends Scholarship Awards is to provide college scholarship awards to students who have shown an interest in outdoor recreation, environmental stewardship, and/or community involvement regarding the preservation of our natural resources. Up to Three (3) Scholarship Awards have been established to honor individuals who have made contributions to supporting those activities in El Paso County.

Awards

Up to three undergraduate scholarship awards are available in amounts up to $2,500 each. Awards are for one year only. All scholarship awards will be paid directly to the educational institutions that students will attend.

Eligibility

1. Applicants must be High School seniors who are El Paso County residents or enrolled at a school in El Paso County.
2. Applicants must provide evidence of a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
3. Applicants must have completed all application requirements noted below.
4. Applicants must be US citizens.
5. Applicants may not be related to any current Incline Friends directors or major donors.

The Incline Friends Scholarship Awards are awarded without regard to race, sex, religion, age, national origin, or sexual orientation. Incline Friends will not award scholarships to applicants who, in its judgement, are not qualified and reserves the right not to award a scholarship each year.

Selection Criteria

1. Demonstrated or expressed interest in outdoor recreation, environmental stewardship, and/or community involvement with an emphasis on caring for and preserving our natural resources. Special consideration will be given to students who intend to pursue studies in the field of natural resource preservation and stewardship.
2. Demonstrated leadership accomplishments.
3. Student Essay: a 200-500 word essay stating the applicant’s qualifications and educational and career goals. Word count isn’t nearly as important as what you have to say.  The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is pretty easy to spot.  The scholarship evaluation committee will not be impressed by jargon likely generated by a bot. Instead, write from your heart.
4. Two (2) letters of recommendation from non-family members, to include but not be limited to teachers, school officials, counselors, employers, etc.
5. Academic standing (minimum required cumulative GPA of 3.00).
6. Future plans (University/college, community college, trade school, apprenticeship, etc.)
7. Potential interview with selected finalists.

Application Requirements

To be considered for an Incline Friends Scholarship Award, applicants must complete the online application and submit it by January 31st, 2025. The application must include:

1. A completed online application form. Only completed application forms will be considered. Application is online below.
2. Two (2) letters of recommendation (must come from the author of the letter, and should be emailed directly from them to scholarship@inclinefriends.org.)
3. An official high school transcript for at least the last 2 years including GPA (if not electronic, scan your copy and attach as a file to to your application below.  An official hard copy may be requested at a later date).
4. A 200-500 word essay/statement stating the applicant’s qualifications and educational and career goals (Save as a PDF & attach to application below)

All four of the above items must be submitted before the application will be considered.

Submission of Application Form

The application form is available below. Fill it out completely on the website, attach required additional documentation and hit “submit”. Do not fill out the application until you are ready … there is no way to save a partial submission. You will receive a confirmation email notice that your application has been received. Note that the application requires a signature. You may provide an electronic signature, or print out the completed application, sign it and scan it as a pdf and email to scholarship@inclinefriends.org.

Submission of Letters of Recommendation

Letters of recommendation should be sent as .pdf files (with the name of the applicant as part of the file name) directly from the author to scholarship@inclinefriends.org. The letter should indicate the capacity in which the letter writer knows the applicant, e.g. as a student, employee, volunteer.

Questions about the application process may be directed to scholarship@inclinefriends.org.

DEADLINE:

Note that all application materials must be received by January 31st, 2025.

Thank you to all who applied! The Incline Friends 2025 scholarship application period has closed.  If you have any questions or comments about your application please feel free to email us at scholarship@inclinefriends.org.