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Gordon A. Rich Memorial Scholarship Program
Deadline to apply: February 16, 2024 3:00 pm CT

The Gordon A. Rich Memorial Foundation (“GAR”) was created to honor the memory of Gordon Rich. Gordon was an individual of extraordinary talent, energy and persistence with a passion for life. He was extremely bright, hard working, a superb athlete, an accomplished pianist, a master chef and wine connoisseur, an advisor to corporations and their leaders and a loving father and husband. His effusive personality combined with a genuine interest in the well being of others yielded him a plethora of friends from all walks of life.

GAR’s mission is to award grants to support the higher education goals of its recipients. The recipients of GAR scholarships are exceptionally qualified high school students with demonstrated financial need whose parents or guardians have, or had, a career in the financial services industry.

This program is administered by Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarships and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Eligibility for individual programs is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsor and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America’s evaluation team. 

Applicants to the Gordon A. Rich Memorial Scholarship Program must be:

  • Applicants must be dependent* children of full-time employees in the financial services industry (commercial banks, investment banks, securities brokerage firms, insurance companies, fund and asset management companies, credit card and finance companies and similar businesses as determined by the Foundation). Employees must be presently employed with five years of experience OR no longer employed in this field but had ten years of experience which ended no longer than five years prior to the program closing date
    *Dependent children are defined as natural and legally adopted children or step-children living in the employee’s household and who are primarily supported by the employee
  • Be currently enrolled as high school seniors who plan to enroll in a full time undergraduate course of study at an accredited four year college or university in the U.S.
  • Have a minimum grade point average of 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale), and rank in the top 20% of class
  • Must demonstrate financial need
  • Students must be a US citizen or legal resident

Award Information

If selected as a recipient, the student will receive up to a $12,500 award. Up to seven (7) awards will be granted. Award distribution and number of awards granted are subject to change per the Gordon A. Rich Foundation based on funds available.

Awards may be renewed for up to three additional years or until a bachelor’s degree is earned, whichever occurs first. Renewal is contingent upon satisfactory academic performance and an annual review by the Gordon A. Rich Memorial Foundation of recipient’s progress. This will include a detailed update of the recipient’s projects and activities during the course of the academic year.

Awards are for undergraduate study only.

Notification

Applicants will be notified in April. Not all applicants to the program will be selected as recipients.

Payment of Scholarships

Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of Gordon A. Rich Memorial Foundation. Payments are made in one installment in August.

Selection of Recipients

Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of:

  • Academic record
  • Demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities
  • Work experience
  • A statement of educational and career goals and objectives
  • Unusual personal or family circumstances
  • An online recommendation
  • Essay of 500 words or less

The essay topic: Drawing on your own interests, accomplishments and experiences, tell how you’ve embodied the passion, spirit and ideals exemplified in the life of Gordon A. Rich. (Information about Mr. Rich is available on the Gordon A. Rich website gordonrich.org.)

Financial need will be considered. Preference will be given to students who demonstrate need.

Scholarship America will select up to 25 semi-finalists. The GAR Scholar Selection Committee will review finalist applications and essays and select the recipients.

As part of your application, you must upload the following document:

  • Current, complete transcript of grades. Grade reports are not accepted. Transcripts must display student name, school name, grades and credit hours for each course, and term in which each course was taken.

NOTE: If you are providing SAT or ACT test scores, and those scores are not listed on your high school transcript, you will need to upload a copy of your test score report(s) separately. If you are uploading a college transcript, those scores are not required.

One online recommendation form must be submitted on your behalf no later than February 21, 2024 3:00 pm Central Time.

Your application is not considered complete unless all required documents are submitted electronically.

The Gordon A. Rich Memorial Foundation has partnered with Scholarship America. Selecting the button below will redirect you the Scholarship America Student Hub!

Please make sure to add studentsupport@scholarshipamerica.org as well as the program email address provided below in the footer as safe senders in your email contact list.