Let Us Help You Access a Great Education in Funeral Service

Access to a great education is one of the central tenets of the Foundation’s mission of lifting up grieving communities by investing in people and programs that strengthen funeral service. Each year, the Foundation offers dozens of academic scholarships in two application cycles. Scholarships range from $2,500-$5,000 and are open to full-time or part-time students in good standing who are enrolled in ABFSE- or Canadian-accredited institutions/programs. Candidates must be attending classes and actively pursuing a degree in funeral service at the time of application. Students who have been accepted into a program, but have not started coursework are not yet eligible to apply.

Submission Cycles

Applications Accepted Feb. 15 – April 1 & Sept. 15 – Nov. 1

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“I am so thankful and grateful for this scholarship. The financial support of my education means so much. I am looking forward to serving as a funeral director in my home state of Michigan after graduation and am humbled to have the opportunity to serve families in the near future.”

Mia Wielenga

2019-20 Academic Scholarship Winner
Worsham College of Mortuary Science
Wheeling, IL

View the Class of 2023

Named Academic Scholarships for Students of Funeral Service

About Our Named Scholarships

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, the Foundation offers a number of Named Scholarships each year to students of funeral service. These scholarships celebrate the legacies and achievements of extraordinary funeral service professionals and their families, while recognizing the profession’s next generation of visionaries and leaders. In many cases, award recipients become connected with the donors who established the scholarships.

APFSP/Fitzgerald Memorial Scholarship
Named in memory of founding board member of the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice (APFSP), and member number 1, Edward J. Fitzgerald. The scholarship is funded through a generous gift from the Academy.

Shipley Rose Buckner Memorial Scholarship
Named in memory of Shipley Rose Buckner, daughter of Foundation Trustee Emeritus Ralph Buckner. In honor of Shipley’s desire to become a funeral director, this endowed scholarship is open to women pursuing a degree in funeral service. The endowed scholarship is funded by generous contributions from Buckner Management Services/Ralph Buckner Foundation.

John Carmon Scholarship
Named in honor of Foundation Past Chair and NFDA Past President John Carmon, who was awarded the Foundation’s Distinguished Service Award in 2022. Mr. Carmon was instrumental in growing the Foundation’s endowment. The scholarship is funded by gifts made Mr. Carmon’s honor.

CANA/Jack Springer Scholarship
Named in memory of Jack Springer who served many years as the Executive Director of the Cremation Association of North America (CANA). The scholarship is funded through a generous gift from CANA.

Foundation ’45 Scholarships
Named in honor of the Foundation’s commitment to making education accessible to funeral service students and professionals since its establishment in 1945. The scholarship is funded by donors from across the profession.

Funeral Directors Life Memorial Scholarship
The Funeral Directors Life Memorial Scholarship honors the memories of funeral service professionals who were instrumental in the founding and growth of Funeral Directors Life. The endowed scholarship is funded by a generous gift from Funeral Directors Life.

Joseph E. Hagan Memorial Scholarship
Named in memory of Joseph E. Hagan whose funeral service career spanned nearly six decades. Mr. Hagan assisted in the funerals of notables including Presidents John F. Kennedy and Dwight Eisenhower, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. The scholarship is supported through contributions to the Foundation’s Endowment.

Bob Horn Scholarship
Named in honor of Foundation Past Chair Bob Horn, who was awarded the Foundation’s first-ever Distinguished Service Award in 2021. Mr. Horn was instrumental in growing the Foundation’s endowment. The scholarship is funded by gifts made in Mr. Horn’s honor.

Mark Hornibrook & Harry Pontone Memorial Scholarships
Named in memory of Mark Hornibrook and Harry Pontone, the scholarship honors their legacies and enduring connection to the funeral service profession, while helping students be the best they can be. The scholarship is made possible through a generous gift from National Guardian Life.

Memorial Classic Scholarship
Named in memory of some of the profession’s finest: Bill Bischoff, Mike Fleming, Dave Hirt, Tom Johnson, Steve Mack, John Morrow, Ed Murphy, Mike Stephens, Ed Tuggle and Joe Weatherford. The endowed scholarship is funded through proceeds from the annual Tom Johnson Memorial Classic Golf Tournament, which is headed by Jake Johnson of Johnson Consulting Group.

Steve Lang Scholarship
Named in honor of Homesteaders Life Company former CEO, and Foundation Trustee Emeritus, Steve Lang. Funded by a generous gift from Homesteaders.

Steve Mack Scholarship
Named in honor of Stephen M. Mack, who was known as a “giant of funeral service.” Mr. Mack’s noteworthy career with Service Corporation International spanned decades. The scholarship is funded through a gift from the Stephen M. Mack Family.

Louis & Josephine Pontone Scholarship
Named in memory of Louis & Josephine Pontone, father & mother of Foundation Trustee Thomas Pontone. Mr. Louis Pontone and his brothers helped expand the family’s casket company to serve all 50 states. The scholarship is funded through a generous gift from Thomas Pontone.

Dennis Schoepp Memorial Scholarship
Named in memory of Dennis Schoepp, who twice served as president of the Montana Funeral Directors Association. Preference will be given to students from MONTANA who INTEND to return to Montana after graduation to work in funeral service, and who are also affiliated with a Montana Funeral Directors Association Member Firm (MFDA).

The scholarship is offered in partnership with the Montana Funeral Directors Association. In addition to Foundation submission requirements, students interested in the Dennis Schoepp Memorial Scholarship must also submit a letter of reference/support from an MFDA Member Firm to MFDA (info@montananfda.org).

SCI National Scholarship Program
We also promote the Brenda Renee Horn and Steve Mack Memorial Scholarships in partnership with the SCI National Scholarship Program. Please direct any questions regarding SCI’s scholarship program to Campus.Relations@sci-us.com.

About The SCI National Scholarship Program

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Essay & Video
Each candidate is required to answer five questions in no more than 250 words per question, and submit a brief video, no longer than two minutes.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

When you submit your application, you’ll also be required to upload:

Your most recent transcripts from your ABFSE- or Canadian-accredited institution.
A letter of good standing from an instructor or program director.
A letter of recommendation.

Applications Accepted Feb. 15 – April 1 & Sep. 15 – Nov. 1

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TERMS & GUIDELINES

Online submissions only.
Scholarships are open to full-time or part-time students in good standing who are enrolled in ABFSE- or Canadian-accredited institutions/programs. Candidates must be attending classes and actively pursuing a degree in funeral service at the time of application.
PLEASE NOTE: Students who are enrolled, but have not yet begun coursework at the time of application, are not yet eligible to apply.
New applicants as well as those who have applied in previous years, but have not been awarded an academic scholarship from the Foundation, are encouraged to apply.
Foundation scholarships are subject to available funds, and are not renewable; a Candidate may only receive a Foundation-awarded academic scholarship one time.
Foundation academic scholarships are for mortuary science/funeral service study only.
Funding is sent directly to the school; under no circumstances will the Funeral Service Foundation make a payment directly to the student.
Funding may be used for tuition, fees, books and supplies.
Alternates may be selected in the event that a scholarship recipient decides not to accept the award.
The Foundation has no loan programs, vocational grants or assistance for graduate study available.
The Funeral Service Foundation will only confirm receipt of completed applications and reserves the right to eliminate from consideration unsigned or incomplete applications without further notice to the applicant.
If a student terminates his or her enrollment in the school for any reason, the remaining/unused balance of the scholarship must be returned to the Foundation only, may not be transferred to another school, and may not be paid to the student personally.
Serious protracted illness or injury that would delay participation in the program may be considered reason for holding an award in reserve. Time limits and other restrictions may be set by the Foundation’s Board of Trustees. Other leaves of absence will be considered on an individual basis.
All award decisions of The Funeral Service Foundation are final.

ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIPS FOR VETERANS

CONTINUE YOUR JOURNEY TO SERVE

The Funeral Service Foundation, in partnership with the ICCFA Educational Foundation, offers academic scholarships to United States and Canadian military veterans, as part of the Journey to Serve initiative. Offered twice a year, scholarships range from $2,500-$5,000 and are available to military veterans who are 18 years of age or older at the time of application and who are currently enrolled (or accepted into) in an ABFSE-accredited funeral service program.

SUBMISSION CYCLES

Applications Accepted: February 15 – April 1 and September 15 – November 1

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AVAILABLE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR MILITARY VETERANS

Journey to Serve Scholarship

The $5,000 scholarship, awarded twice a year, is designed to help US and Canadian military veterans continue their call of duty in a funeral service or deathcare career honoring the values revered in every branch of the military: Respect, dedication, and commitment to community.

Eligibility

This scholarship is open to military veterans who are legal residents of the United States or Canada who are eighteen (18) years of age or older at the time of application and who are currently accepted into or currently enrolled in an ABFSE- or Canadian-accredited funeral service program.

Hunter M. Harbeson Memorial Academic Scholarship

The $2,500 scholarship, awarded twice a year, is named in memory Hunter M. Harbeson, who, like generations before him, including his father Jeff “The Funeral Commander” Harbeson, served in the United States military, and continued his journey to serve in a career in funeral service and deathcare.

Learn More About Hunter’s Legacy

Eligibility

Open to military veterans who are legal residents of the United States who are eighteen (18) years of age or older at the time of application and who are currently accepted into or currently enrolled in an ABFSE-accredited funeral service program.

Donate to the Hunter M. Harbeson Scholarship Fund