ITW has established a scholarship program to assist qualified children of eligible ITW employees in helping to finance postsecondary education at institutions of their choice.
The 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.
The ITW Calmer L. Johnson/John W. Leslie National Merit Scholarship Program recipients are not eligible to receive an award through this program.
*The parent or legal guardian must be an eligible active U.S. or Canada ITW employee at the time the scholarship is awarded. Retirees’ children are not eligible to apply.
Scholarship America will email eligible students the information for the renewal application on the Scholarship America Student Hub.
You must submit a copy of your current transcript with the renewal application.
Past recipients can apply for renewal of their award even if the employee is no longer employed by ITW.
Awards are renewable for full-time study up to three years for one specific course of study or until a certificate, diploma or undergraduate degree is earned, whichever comes first. Recipients may only receive the scholarship a maximum of four years.
Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of ITW. Payments are made in early August.
Financial need will not be considered.
Selection of the scholarship recipients will be made by Scholarship America. Not all applicants will be selected as recipients. In no instance does any ITW officer or employee play a part in any selection of the scholarship recipients. Decisions are final. All students will be notified of their status in late May.
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 an official copy of those test scores separately. If you are uploading a college transcript, those scores are not required.
Also, as part of your application, one online recommendation by a counselor, advisor, or instructor must be completed on your behalf no later than April 10, 2025 3:00 pm Central Time.
Your application is not complete unless all required documents are submitted electronically through the Scholarship America Student Hub.
The ITW Scholarship Program is funded, in part, by an endowment from the William C. Stern estate. Mr. Stern was born in Germany, April 19, 1899, and came to this country in 1916. In 1926, he moved to Chicago and was employed as a machinist by ITW. He later transferred to our Shakeproof Division as an engineer.
Bill Stern was an original member of the ITW Patent Society. During Bill’s 39 years at ITW, he made numerous major contributions to the company, including: participation in the development of the Sems® machine for assembling screws and washers; the continuous slotting machine with thread cutting screws; and the Type 17 screw, predecessor of today’s Teks® self drilling screws.
While Bill and his wife of 51 years, Rose, had no children of their own, they enjoyed a lifelong interest in young people. That interest led to their establishing bequests to aid in the education of children of ITW families.
This scholarship is funded by an endowment from the Henry A. Sygnator estate. It is restricted to qualified students who select Mechanical Engineering as their major course of study.
“A member of the ITW Patent Society, Hank was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 1983, and holds seven Special Awards. His numerous fastener-related inventions are protected by over 37 patents.”
This scholarship is intended to further Hank’s legacy as an inventive engineer who truly enjoyed his profession.
The two top-ranking qualified applicants who are current college undergraduates selecting Mechanical Engineering as their major course of study will receive a renewable Henry A. Sygnator Memorial Scholarship provided qualified applications are received. Only two awards are given at a time.
Serving from 1948 to 1980 as ITW’s Patent Counsel and in the later period also as General Counsel, Robert W. Beart’s leadership, support and ingenuity drove the thousands of patents established during his 30-year career. In response to customers’ needs, he administered a major licensing program for many of ITW’s businesses resulting in 18 U.S. licensees and millions of dollars more in royalties. With ostensibly simple inventions in crowded technologies, patenting is not always clear-cut. It takes the same creative approach to secure patent protection that it takes to develop the idea itself. Bob understood that the proprietary products, processes and services of ITW needed the best protection. To that end, Bob worked tirelessly to ensure patentability for ITW’s complex, ground-breaking programs.
The two top-ranking qualified applicants who are current college undergraduates selecting Chemistry and/or Engineering as their major course of study will receive a renewable Robert W. Beart Memorial Scholarship. Two awards will be granted each year if qualified applications are received.
