Scholarships

SELECTION PROCESS DETAILS:

1) Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent US residents holding a Green Card and in good standing with NEDA. Scholarship money must be used to participate in educational programs that include, but are not limited to, seminars, workshops, clinics and training programs offered by recognized and/or certified instructors. Programs for which the money is requested must have a stated objective and must be for the specific purpose of advancing the rider's/official's skills or individual's standing in the dressage community (e.g., the purpose can be to attend an USDF seminar to move from one judging level to the next, but not to attend a clinic required to maintain one's card). There must be a clear beginning and ending dates.

2) There are five different categories in which members may apply for:

• Professional Rider/Trainer
• Junior/Young Rider
• Breeder
• Competing Amateur Adult
• Non-Competing Amateur Adult

All NEDA members can fall into one of these five categories. If you are unsure which category makes sense for you, please check with the Scholarship Chair.

3) Scholarship applications are available any time of the year online at neda.org and may be submitted at any time. Scholarships are awarded in the Spring and Fall. Deadlines for receipt of applications are June 1st & November 1st . Completed applications must be received by these deadlines to be considered for awards in those time frames. To be fair to all applicants, if an application is not complete or arrives late, it cannot be considered for that allocation date and is returned to the applicant for future consideration. Completed applications must be accompanied by four references (two personal and two from those who can attest to your riding, teaching, and/or training abilities). Recipients of previous NEDA scholarships may apply again after 4 years with the criteria evaluated for the last 4 years.

4) The Scholarship Committee (consisting of 7 - 10 members), meets approximately two to three weeks following the two deadlines to review all applications and allocate scholarships depending upon availability of funds, qualifications of applicants, etc.

5) The Committee screens each application with a uniform set of criteria, eliminating the possibility of subjective selection or favoritism. While the criteria are naturally somewhat different for each category, they generally include such benchmarks as length of NEDA membership, volunteer history, other scholarships received, goal of program, competition level, previous awards and recognition, benefit to NEDA's membership, timeliness of goal, credibility and reputation, ambassadorship and effect on professional contribution/educational purpose. Within each of the criteria a candidate may accrue up to 5 points. For example: In the criteria for Length of NEDA membership, a candidate would earn 1 point for "under 2 years", 2 points for "2-4 years", 3 points for "5-9 years", 4 points for "10-15 years", and 5 points for "over 15 years".

6) To be considered for an award, an applicant must accrue a minimum of 60% of the total possible points. Professionals applying to train internationally must receive a minimum score of 68% to be considered for Scholarship amounts above $2000. If no candidate accrues the minimum score, no award is given in that category. The money is held to be awarded in the next application period. A qualifying score does not automatically mean monies will be awarded - it is just a baseline. The Committee attempts at all times to keep focused on how the overall membership can benefit from the educational opportunity the scholarships are providing.

7) Current maximum suggested allotments for scholarships per applicant are as follows:

• Professional Rider/Trainer - $3000 (or for an applicant requesting assistance for an international level education opportunity, the committee may award up to $4,000)
• Competing Amateur Adult - $2000
• Non-Competing Amateur Adult - $2000
• Junior/Young Rider - $1000
• Breeder - $2000

It is hoped that in any given year, a mixture of applications from all categories would be received and awarded, although there are years when this may not be possible due to lack of qualified applicants or the desire to make an extraordinary award to assist a highly qualified candidate in an Olympic or Championship year.

8) The Scholarship Chair notifies all applicants of the outcome. Those who have been awarded scholarships are mailed a "Letter of Agreement" that is a simple contract between the member and NEDA that outlines where, when and how the money will be used as well as what the applicant is willing to do for NEDA in return. A formal letter of agreement will specifically outline the ways in which the Committee expects the recipient to contribute to NEDA. The individual's knowledge and experience will be taken into consideration. Some ways that members give back for their scholarship assistance are giving clinics, organizing a clinic or a fundraising event for Scholarships, judging, writing an article, and/or being available for publicity, photos, etc. The Letter of Agreement also instructs the recipient to provide receipts to the Scholarship Chair for all of his/her expenses associated with the scholarship. It also explains that if for some reason the recipient does not complete the program for which the award was made within 1 year, any unused portion of the funds must be returned barring exceptional circumstances.

This scholarship has the goal of providing financial assistance to a young dressage enthusiast wanting to attend the USDF convention and increasing youth attendance at the convention. Scholarships of $1000 are available to a NEDA member, age 21 and younger, to help defray the expenses associated with attending the USDF convention.

One-half of the funds will be paid to the recipient prior to convention, and the remainder of the scholarship will be reimbursed following convention. The scholarship recipient will be required to submit an essay about their trip to convention (for publication in the Tip of the Hat) as well as all receipts to receive final reimbursement. The funds may be used to cover transportation, hotel, and registration fees.

The recipient is required to attend the USDF Youth Educational Session, the Region 8 meeting, the National Youth Programs Committee meeting, the FEI Youth Committee meeting and all USDF University Education sessions. If there are no scheduling conflicts, the recipient will also attend at least one session of the Board of Governors meeting to observe the governance structure. The scholarship recipient is solely responsible for their behavior and actions during the trip and parental/guardian supervision is required for any youth legally defined as a minor.

The NEDA Scholarship Committee selects a recipient by assessing characteristics that include participation in NEDA and/or dressage related activities, written communication skills, desire to learn, ability to utilize knowledge, and overall impression.

For questions and submission of application & essay: Click here to contact our Scholarships committee

For outstanding commitment to NEDA, education and volunteerism

The Mission of the Ann Villani Memorial Award is to provide a once in a lifetime award in memory of a truly gifted individual who saw her commitment to anything equine as a way of life. Ms. Villani was a rare individual – she had extraordinary understanding and compassion for all animals, a trait that she taught others to bring to their relationships with their horses. Ann's compassion for animals and passion for riding enabled her to be a gifted horsewoman who truly loved Dressage.

The Scholarship Committee will review Ann Villani Award nominations and the award decision will be submitted to the Board of Directors. The Committee will meet in the first to second week of November following the nomination deadline. All review discussion will be confidential and decisions of the Committee are final.

1) The award will be given once a year provided a candidate who meets the above criteria is nominated, in the amount of $1,000. Nominations are due by November 1st and must be submitted and received by that date (exceptions in unusual circumstances may be made).

2) Nominees must be U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. residents having a Green Card and current members in good standing of the New England Dressage Association.

3) This is designed to be a once in a lifetime award. Once granted this award, a person cannot be nominated again. Any member who has already received a scholarship from NEDA is eligible for this award.

4) Any member of the Scholarship Committee can be nominated; however, Committee members cannot nominate a candidate, whether from the Committee or the membership at large.

5) A candidate must be a NEDA member who has been nominated by a fellow NEDA member. The person nominating the candidate will request a nomination form with specific questions designed to determine a candidate’s commitment to NEDA, the equine athlete, education and the equine community.

6) The award will be given to the candidate who best exemplifies the qualities that made Ann so special: dedication, commitment to volunteerism, positive attitude, hard work, quest for continuing education, ongoing pursuit of excellence, and fairness.

7) There will be no restrictions in the way the award is used, however, it is hoped that it will used to benefit the nominee’s dressage pursuits.

CATEGORIES & AMOUNTS:

     • Professionals up to $3000 (or for an applicant requesting assistance for an international level education opportunity, the Committee may award up to $4,000).
     • Competing Amateurs up to $2000
     • Non-Competing Amateurs up to $2000
     • Junior/Young Riders up to $1000
     • Breeders up to $2000
Professional, Amateur and Junior/Young Rider definitions use USEF rules.

APPLICANT STATUS: Applicants must be 14 years of age or older, U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. residents having a Green Card, and current members in good standing of NEDA. Previous scholarship winners may re-apply every four years, with their volunteer work considered for the most recent 4 years only.

REVIEW DATES & PROCESS: Normally, applications must be received by June 1st and November 1st and must be used within 1 year of awarding. The Scholarship Committee will review applications and decisions will be submitted to the Board of Directors for approval. All review discussion will be confidential, and decisions are final. Letters of Agreement specifically outlining expectations will be sent to all recipients.

PROGRAM QUALIFICATIONS: Programs must have a stated objective and goal, a defined beginning and end, and must be for the specific purpose of advancing the individual’s dressage skills, knowledge, or experience. If for professional advancement, programs must be for the betterment or advancement of the individual’s standing in the dressage community, rather than simple maintenance of present status (example: the purpose can be to attend a USEF seminar to move from one judging level to the next, but not to attend a clinic required to maintain one’s card.) Recipients of awards agree to contribute knowledge and experience gained through the scholarship to other NEDA members after completion of their program.

ALLOWED EXPENSES: The specific educational expenses include, but are not limited to, seminars, workshops, clinics or training programs offered by recognized or certified instructors/clinicians. Personal expenses incurred for travel, meals and transportation are not included.

PAYMENT OF SCHOLARSHIP: Scholarship awards will be paid directly to the individual upon return of signed Letter of Agreement. Any funds awarded but not spent to achieve the application goal within 1 year must be returned to NEDA. Specific evidence of payment (receipts, canceled checks, etc.) must be submitted to the NEDA Treasurer.

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DONATIONS

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Scholarship Fund. NEDA relies upon private contributions to keep this vital program available. Any donations can and will make a difference! Make checks payable to the "NEDA Scholarship Fund" or donate on-line on this web site.

Priscilla Endicott established NEDA in 1972 with the primary purpose of actively supporting the sport of Dressage and promoting exceptional educational opportunities. In light of this commitment, Priscilla’s family established a fund starting in 2020 to support an exceptional candidate’s efforts to further their Dressage education. NEDA cannot express how appreciative the organization is for this opportunity to enhance the scholarship program for our membership.

The Priscilla Endicott Scholarship is awarded as an add-on to the current scholarship amounts. What we’ve often heard is that NEDA scholarships, while helpful and certainly appreciated by all, don’t necessarily support certain goals and programs that have higher costs associated with them. This scholarship provides an exceptional applicant with additional funds to be used not only for educational purposes but also for expenses related to travel, living, transportation, etc. The application will require the applicant to tell us how likely they would be to pursue their goals without financial assistance.

The Endicott award of $4000.00 will be given once a year in the fall. All those who have applied for a NEDA scholarship and are qualified within the calendar year will be eligible. If the committee deems another applicant equally qualified, they may divide the award at their discretion.

CRITERIA:

The Priscilla Endicott award will be available to applicants in all NEDA Scholarship categories as long as they meet the following additional qualifications and requirements:
     • The applicant must be a NEDA member in good standing for a minimum of five years and active volunteer supporting the sport of Dressage.
     • The applicant must have completed a minimum of 20 hours of volunteering for NEDA.
     • The committee will base their decision most heavily on the applicant's stated goals, the proposed way to give back to NEDA and the likelihood that the applicant could achieve the goal without financial help.
     • The awardee is expected to reach out to the Scholarship Chair upon completion with a concrete plan supporting their intended contribution to NEDA.

Remember, if eligible, you must apply for the Priscilla Endicott scholarship in addition to the regular scholarship in the same year to receive consideration. Qualifying applications (spring and fall) will be considered in the fall.

We thank Priscilla and her family for their continued generosity and their support of the aspiring riders in our sport!