pa foundation scholarship

The PA Foundation, an affiliate of the AAPA, is pleased to offer scholarships to PAs and PA students who demonstrate a commitment to serving medically underserved communities.

The PA Foundation, an affiliate of the AAPA, is pleased to offer scholarships to PAs and PA students who demonstrate a commitment to serving medically underserved communities.

• The Richard L. Byyny Memorial Scholarship, which provides up to $5,000 per year for two years for mid-career PAs who are enrolled in a master’s or doctorate degree program and demonstrate a commitment to serving the underserved throughout their careers. Application deadline is October 1 each year.
• The James S. Taylor Memorial Scholarship, which provides up to $5,000 per year for two years for mid-career PAs who are enrolled in a master’s or doctorate degree program and demonstrate an interest in rural health care and commitment to serving the underserved throughout their careers. Application deadline is October 1 each year.
• Ruth Jackson Physician Assistant Scholarship Program of American Academy of Physician Assistants (RJF/AAPA) Scholarships provide up to $4,000 per year for two years for first-year PA students who demonstrate a commitment to serving medically underserved populations upon graduation from their program and throughout their career as a PA. Application deadline is March 1 each year.
• Minority Scholarship Program provides up to $4,500 per year for four years of full-time education or part-time study at no less than six credits per semester for first-year PA students who are members of racial and ethnic minority groups that have been shown by the federal government to be underrepresented in the health professions workforce; equivalent part-time awards also available upon request. Students must be accepted into an ARC-PA accredited physician assistant program leading toward a master’s level degree or higher; application deadline is April 30 each year.

If you’re already a PA and applying for a scholarship, be sure to check out the scholarships specific to your career stage.

If you’re already a PA and applying for a scholarship, be sure to check out the scholarships specific to your career stage.

• Practice Scholarships—helping PAs pay for continuing medical education
• Student Scholarships—assisting PAs pursuing an advanced degree, such as an MPH or PhD
• Military Scholarships—providing financial support to service members pursing an advanced degree

The application period for PA Foundation scholarships is July 1st through October 15th.

The application period for PA Foundation scholarships is July 1st through October 15th.

Applications, or updates to previous applications, received outside this timeframe will not be considered. Decisions will be made in mid-January and applicants will be notified by the end of January.

Please note that scholarship funds are awarded directly to the educational institution on behalf of the student; they do not go to individual students.

The selection process is a tw0-step process: (1) An online application is completed by the applicant, which results in a list of eligible applicants; (2) The Application Review Committee reviews each application and selects scholarship recipients based on eligibility criteria and quality of the application. For example, candidates who have been previously awarded a PA Foundation scholarship receive extra consideration for their second award. However, there is no guarantee that previous recipients will automatically receive an award if they apply again.

You can apply for financial aid from the PA foundation if you are committed to serving in under-served communities.

The PA Foundation provides funding for qualified applicants who are dedicated to serving under-served communities. Both the applicant and their sponsor must demonstrate a commitment to such service. The foundation has five funding criteria and sources from which it can distribute financial aid:

• Grants and scholarship funds: These come from direct donations by individuals, businesses, or groups of PAs; fundraising events; bequests; and interest on invested assets.
• Auxiliary membership dues: Members of the Auxiliary may donate money annually to provide scholarships for students or grants for educational programs.
• Endowed funds: An endowed fund is established in perpetuity with an initial gift of $50,000 that is invested in perpetuity and generates income through investment earnings, which is used to fund scholarships or grants.
• Small grants program: A limited amount of small grants are available each year through this program, but only those with the most highly rated proposals are funded due to budget constraints.