Applicants to the Binc Scholarship Program must meet all of the following criteria:
- Be high school seniors or graduates or be current postsecondary undergraduates or graduate level students.
- Plan to enroll in full- or part-time undergraduate or graduate study at an accredited two-year or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school for at least half of the upcoming academic year.
In addition to the requirements listed above, all applicants to the Binc Scholarship Program must be one of the following:
- Dependents* of former full- or part- time Borders Group who were employed with Borders Group at any point during the 2011 calendar year and who had a minimum of one year employment with the company.
- Dependents* of current employees and owners of retail bookstores and comic shops in the U.S. who have a minimum of 90 days of continuous employment at the bookstore. The store must have a bricks and mortar presence in the U.S. and be owned by an entity deriving a substantial portion of its revenue from the sale of physical books and/or comics. Employees must be employed directly by the store at the time employment is verified. This includes Regional Trade Association employees and dependents.
- Karl Pohrt Scholarship: Current employees and owners of independent retail bookstores and comic shops in the U.S. who are non-traditional students or who have overcome learning adversity. The employee must have a minimum of 90 days of continuous employment at the store. The store must have a bricks and mortar presence in the U.S. and be owned by an entity deriving a substantial portion of its revenue from the sale of physical books and/or comics. Employees must be employed directly by the store at the time employment is verified. This includes Regional Trade Association employees and dependents.
*Dependents include children aged 25 and under, spouses and qualified same-sex partners.
Award information:
- Up to eight (8) awards will be granted as follows:
- Seven (7) awards of $3,500 each will be granted.
- One Karl Pohrt Tribute Award of $5,000 will be granted to a candidate who has overcome learning adversity or is a non-traditional student. This award will be granted to an employee affiliated with an independent bookstore or comic shop.
- Awards are not renewable, however, students may reapply to the program each year they meet eligibility requirements. A student may receive an award no more than three times in a five-year period. There is a lifetime maximum of four awards per student. Only one student per household may be awarded per award cycle.
- Awards are for undergraduate and graduate study and may be used for tuition, fees, books, supplies and room and board.
Selection information:
- Scholarship recipients are selected based on three equally weighted categories: academic achievement; financial need; and leadership, participation, and other non-academic criteria including a goals statement, work experience, and unusual personal or family circumstances.
- Recipients are selected by Scholarship America. All information received is considered confidential. In no instance does any officer or employee of Binc play a part in the selection.
- The selection process will not be influenced or affected by the actual or perceived race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, gender, or sexual orientation of any applicant.
Notification
Applicants will be notified in June. Not all applicants to the program will be selected as recipients.
Payment of Scholarships
Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of Binc. Awards will be paid in one installment in early August.
As part of your application, you must upload the following documents:
- A current, complete transcript of grades. Grade reports are not accepted. Unofficial or online transcripts must display student name, school name, grades and credit hours for each course and term in which each course was taken
- Copy of the first two pages of the 2019 or 2020 IRS Federal Form 1040 which is used to complete the Financial Information section of the application.
Your application is not complete unless all required documents are submitted electronically.
