The GoWest Foundation is committed to supporting credit union professionals in developing their careers and strengthening the leadership, talent, and expertise for credit unions across the region. We provide professional development scholarships to assist credit union employees in accessing training and development opportunities to best serve their credit unions, members, and communities.
Scholarship Opportunities
Thank you for your interest in a Professional Development Scholarship. To ensure a successful scholarship application process, please read the following before submitting your application:
- Applicants must be currently employed by an Association-member credit union or serve on a member credit union’s board.
- Scholarship applications must be received 14 business days prior to the event date or purchase of registration for the event.
- Scholarship awards may be used to reimburse in-person or virtual events, programs, or course registration fees and other qualified expenses, including lodging (excludes room upgrades), food (excludes alcoholic beverages), airfare (excludes first-class upgrades), and ground transportation.
- Association Power User Council Memberships and individual Council Memberships are not eligible for scholarship funding. Applicants may apply for scholarship funding for individual council meetings.
- Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and applicants are notified of the determination within 30 days of application receipt. Approval letters will state the scholarship award amount.
Credit Union Scholarship Award Guidelines
The total scholarships a credit union may be awarded annually is determined by the credit union’s asset size. Below is a breakdown of the standard total scholarship dollars that a credit union is eligible for each year:
- Assets below $500 million: $4,000
- Assets above $500 million: $2,000
Scholarship applicants are typically eligible to receive up to $1,000 per year in scholarship funds, which counts towards the credit union’s annual scholarship award. There may be circumstances when requests exceeding the typical annual award per applicant or credit union will be considered. All scholarship requests are subject to review by the Foundation and are dependent upon funds available.
Scholarships are awarded as reimbursements. The scholarship recipient must use awarded funds for the sole purpose(s) stated on the application. Scholarships are non-transferable. To receive a scholarship reimbursement, the recipient must submit a complete Reimbursement and Impact Report, with invoices and receipts, to the Foundation within 60 days of the course/event’s conclusion date. Failure to comply with this deadline will result in automatic and total scholarship forfeiture. Please note that only itemized receipts will be reimbursed. Non-itemized receipts will not be.
Use the Express Application if you meet the following conditions:
- Your award request does not exceed $500 and
- You are an associated credit union CEO or
- You are an associated credit union board member
If the above conditions do not apply to your request, please use the Scholarship Application to apply.
By applying, you agree to the Foundation’s scholarship terms and conditions.
