Naval Helicopter Association Scholarship Fund The NHA Scholarship Fund Always Has Two Things to Say: “Donate" and "Apply!” By CAPT Arne Nelson, USN (Ret.), President
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he mission of the Naval Helicopter Association Scholarship Fund (NHASF) is to award college scholarships to eligible members of the naval helicopter community and their families (USN, USMC, and USCG) to "Old Buck" pursue their educational goals. “Apply and Donate!” Our vision is to position NHA SF to be a premier scholarship choice in Naval Aviation in 5 years and to provide a sound, growing fund base to incrementally increase the dollar value of the 15 annual awards total to reach $75K in 5 years The next NHA Scholarship Fund application period starts on 1 September 2021 and goes through 31 January 2022. Prescreen will close a week prior on 24 January 2022. Applicants Must Be: • Active Duty / Reserve Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard rotary wing / tilt-rotor aviator, aircrewman, or maintenance/ support personnel, or, • Prior Active Duty / Reserve Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard rotary wing / tilt-rotor aviator, aircrewman, or maintenance/support personnel, or, • A natural / step / adopted child, grandchild, or spouse of an Active Duty / Reserve / prior or retired; Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard rotary wing/tilt-rotor aviator, aircrewman, or maintenance/support personnel, • The applicant must be a high school graduate or prospective high school graduate; high school equivalent graduate; or current college undergraduate / graduate student, and the applicant must be pursuing a trade certificate, associate degree, bachelor's degree, or graduate degree from an accredited institution. Eligibility Criteria Per the NHA BoD, the applicant and / or sponsor must be an NHA Lifetime Member (Feb 2020 – on) or a member in good standing for a minimum of three years by January 31st of the year applying for a scholarship. Exceptions are: a first tour active-duty O-1 / O-2, who is a 2 Year "Nugget" Member of NHA, and his / her family are exempt from the three-year eligibility requirement or an active duty Enlisted (E-6 and below), with a current or past helicopter affiliation (stationed in a helicopter or MV-22 squadron or other helicopter aviation unit) and their family members, are exempt from the NHA membership requirement, though a recommendation or endorsement from his / her command is required confirming the sponsor / applicant is currently serving in a USN, USMC, or USCG helicopter or MV-22 squadron or other helicopter aviation unit. An applicant who receives an appointment to a service academy is not eligible for an award through NHA. Pre-Qualification Requirements The pre-¬qualification will include the following information from the applicant. • Applicants who have previously qualified must still submit a new pre-qualification form. Please do not use the existing account and overwrite that information, our system will not recognize it as a new entry. • However, the new candidate does not need to resubmit documentation of the sponsor’s service in Naval Aviation. Please indicate the name of the family member who has pre-qualified in the "Verification of Assignment in Naval Air Forces or Subordinate Command(s)" section of the pre-qualification form. New applicants MUST still submit proof of dependency by the pre-qualification deadline of 24 January. Reapplying Please re-activate your account. This must be done each scholarship season an applicant plans to apply. Notifications Applicants will receive an email regarding the status of their pre-qualification application within 7 business days of your submission. If an applicant does not receive an email, please contact us at scholarship@nhasf.org to ensure it was received. Questions Please email us at president@nhascholarshipfund.org with any questions. Be sure to put as the subject line “NHASF and your last name." The Naval Helicopter Association Scholarship Fund does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, or religion in the administration of any of its educational policies, programs, and operations. 13
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