The application deadline for the 2025 IBEW Founders’ Scholarship is June 1, and International President Kenneth W. Cooper encourages interested members to submit their paperwork as quickly as possible.
“Education and professional development have always been core values of the IBEW,” Cooper said. “I invite each and every one of our members with a desire to do more to help their brothers and sisters to apply for a Founders’ Scholarship.”
Offered exclusively to IBEW members in good standing, Founders’ Scholarships help pay for courses toward degrees in approved fields from accredited institutions. The independent Founders’ Scholarship Selection Committee picks the winners, awarding up to $200 per semester credit hour, or $134 per trimester credit hour, with a maximum award of $24,000 over eight years.
“Furthering your education is an investment that shows your dedication and commitment to your IBEW brothers and sisters,” said Research Director Jim Voye, who administers the scholarship program.
International President Gordon M. Freeman launched the scholarships in 1966 to honor the organizers of the IBEW. Freeman’s hope was that the money would help members broaden their education while furthering the IBEW’s mission to organize every electrical worker.
Each scholarship applicant must submit an essay and resume plus reference letters and transcripts. “They don’t all have to arrive together, but they all have to be either emailed or postmarked by the June 1 deadline,” Voye said.
One winner of the three scholarships awarded last year is Santa Rosa, Calif., Local 551 member Adrian Hardesty, a union activist since his apprenticeship who is pursuing a master’s degree from Rutgers University with a concentration in conflict resolution and negotiation.
A member of Local 551’s executive board and a former benefits trustee, Hardesty said the Rutgers program “will help me become the most effective leader that I can be for the IBEW.”
Local 551 Business Manager John McEntagart supported Hardesty’s application.
“He is that member that is considerate of others, thinks things through and always looks out for the members,” McEntagart said.
Kristin Renskers, another winner, became a union activist when she helped Duluth, Minn., Local 31 unionize the utility department she worked for.
“The experience of organizing from the inside and obtaining a contract is the most valuable of my life,” Renskers said.
“Kristin provides the even keel and level-headedness allowing for productive and thoughtful solutions,” said Local 31 Business Manager Will Keyes.
Now Local 31’s business representative, Renskers also is working on a labor and employment relations degree from Rutgers. “I look to where labor has come from and plan for where we might go,” she said.
Gary and Hammond, Ind., Local 697’s Matthew Valant became interested in adult learning after attending the National Training Institute. He is now the training director and an instructor at the Electrical Training Center in Lake County.
“Transitioning from electrical worker to teacher is tough,” said Valant, who is spending his scholarship money on an educational doctorate in instructional systems technology. “I hope to use my education to continue to instill knowledge and confidence into our future generation of IBEW teachers.”
Local 697 Business Manager Felipe Hernandez said Valant’s passion for teaching and professional growth are highly evident.
“His pursuit of further education aligns perfectly with the scholarship mission,” Hernandez said.
Email application and entry materials by June 1 to [email protected] or mail them to the IBEW Founders’ Scholarship Committee, 900 7th St. NW, Washington, DC, 20001. Visit ibew.org/foundersscholarship for application requirements and winners’ responsibilities, and call (202) 728-6103 with questions.
