Conference Scholarship

The Washington Museum Association (WaMA) provides scholarships each year to its Annual Meeting. Each scholarship will cover the costs of conference registration.

This includes: all events, meals, and sessions included in conference registration (including a pre-conference workshop and WaMA Banquet), a $200.00 stipend, and a one-year membership in the Washington Museum Association. Scholarship recipients must attend the conference to receive the stipend and the membership, and submit a written experience and photograph of their experience to WaMA for publication purposes. Applicants need not be a WaMA member to apply for a scholarship. The submission deadline is Friday, March 14, 2025.

The four scholarship categories are:

1. Ellen Ferguson Student Scholarship: To be eligible, an applicant must be a current student in a college or university pursuing training in the museum or heritage fields. The applicant must discuss his or her current student status, interest in the museum or related field, reasons for attending the conference, and need for a scholarship.
2. Gus Norwood Volunteer Scholarship: To be eligible, an applicant must be a volunteer in any position at a museum of any size and type. The applicant must describe his or her volunteer position, reasons for attending the conference, and need for a scholarship.
3. Robert Gruhn Working Professional Scholarship: To be eligible, an applicant must be a museum professional of any level, working in a museum of any size or type, who otherwise would not be able to attend the conference due to financial constraints. The applicant must describe his or her current status as a working professional, financial need for a scholarship, personal reasons for attending the conference, and the sponsoring museum’s reasons for the applicant to attend.
4. WaMA Board Scholarship: To be eligible, an applicant must be a member of a museum board, governing a museum of any size or type, who otherwise would not be able to attend the conference because of financial constraints. The applicant must describe his or her current status as a museum board member, personal reasons for attending the conference, and the museum’s reasons for the applicant to attend the conference.