ORWEF Scholarship Program
Scholarship applications open every November!
The Oklahoma Rural Water Enrichment Foundation is honored to announce the offering of scholarship opportunities, for this academic year, to ORWA member system employees, directors, or their dependent children or grandchildren. The scholarship program was organized to promote the higher education of students from rural areas by granting scholarships for continuing education opportunities to eligible participants.
Please notify all interested directors, council members, and employees. (not eligible for schools, fire depts or police depts) ORWA Board Members or their family members are not eligible to participate. Please refer to the official rules on the application form for details. The amount of each scholarship will be determined by available funding.
Submissions are due by January 10, 2025.
Scholarship recipients will be notified in late Spring each year. Thank you for your continued support and patronage.
This grant of $2,000 will be made to a student to defray the cost of tuition, books, or room and board at an accredited institution of higher learning approved by the Oklahoma Rural Water Enrichment Foundation (ORWEF). Disbursement of the money will be made upon presentation of the winners’ college or university invoice as proof of full-time enrollment. The scholarship money will be awarded directly to the student, $2,000.00 ($1,000.00) per semester. The scholarship will be awarded to member system employees, directors, or their children or grandchildren who are still dependent. (not eligible for schools, fire depts or police depts). Applicants must be a citizen or legal resident of the United States. Eligible participants must be a resident of the State of Oklahoma and reside on a water system that is a member of ORWA. In order to be eligible for a scholarship, applicants must complete the online application form in its entirety and submited by the deadline. All applicants will be first screened on the basis of leadership, responsibilities in community and school activities, grade point average, required essay, scholarship recommendations from others and college entrance test scores – ACT/SAT. Applicants will be evaluated on a comparative basis at the sole discretion of the committee. Decisions will be final. Recipients will be notified in late Spring. No transfer of scholarship is permitted. Application material and decisions of the committee will be confidential. Acceptance of the scholarship constitutes permission to use recipient’s name and/or likeness for purpose of promotion. ORWA Directors and Employees are not eligible to participate.
- Completed Application
- Transcript (High School or College) & Copy of ACT/SAT test score
- Letters of Recommendation (Minimum of 2)
- List of Awards, Memberships or other Special Recognition
- Financial Data Submissions
- Essay (Must be 250 words or less)
- Biography
- Photo (High Quality 5×7 or larger)
You’ve got this! Click ‘Apply Now Online’ to start your scholarship application, and good luck!
Help Fund Scholarships
Did you know that since the inception of the ORWEF program 591 scholarships have been awarded? That brings the total amount awarded since inception to $807,250. This is something that we can all support and is something that we should all be very proud of. The Oklahoma Rural Water Enrichment Foundation was established in December of 1998 for the sole purpose of providing opportunities for ORWA member systems, their board members, employees or their dependent children and grandchildren. Recipients of scholarships can use the grants to further their education at any college, or other accredited institution of higher learning of their choice.
The Enrichment Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization and all donations are tax deductible. Donations are welcome from individuals, water and sewer systems, associate members and others who may want to support the goals of the Foundation.