Gordon A. Rich Memorial Scholarship Program
Gordon A. Rich Memorial Scholarship Program
The Gordon A. Rich Memorial Foundation (“GAR”) was created to honor the memory of Gordon Rich. Gordon was an individual of extraordinary talent, energy and persistence with a passion for life. He was extremely bright, hard working, a superb athlete, an accomplished pianist, a master chef and wine connoisseur, an advisor to corporations and their leaders and a loving father and husband. His effusive personality combined with a genuine interest in the well being of others yielded him a plethora of friends from all walks of life.
GAR’s mission is to award grants to support the higher education goals of its recipients. The recipients of GAR scholarships are exceptionally qualified high school students with demonstrated financial need whose parents or guardians have, or had, a career in the financial services industry.
The program is administered by Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarships and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Eligibility for individual programs is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsor and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America’s evaluation team.
Eligibility
Applicants to the Gordon A. Rich Memorial Scholarship Program must meet all of the following criteria:
- Be dependent* children of full-time employees in the financial services industry (commercial banks, investment banks, securities brokerage firms, insurance companies, fund and asset management companies, credit card and finance companies and similar businesses as determined by the Foundation). Employees must be presently employed with at least five years of experience by the program closing date.
*Dependent children are defined as natural and legally adopted children or step-children living in the employee’s household and who are primarily supported by the employee. - Be currently enrolled as high school seniors who plan to enroll in a full time undergraduate course of study at an accredited four year college or university in the U.S. for the entire upcoming academic year.
- Have a minimum grade point average of 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale).
- Must demonstrate financial need.
- Students must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident.
Award Information
If selected as a recipient, the student will receive up to a $15,000 annual award. Award distribution and number of awards granted are subject to change per the Gordon A. Rich Foundation based on funds available.
If selected to receive an award and the student has no need for the year, the student will receive a $1,500 honorarium award.
Awards may be renewed for up to three additional years or until a bachelor’s degree is earned, whichever occurs first. Renewal is contingent upon satisfactory academic performance and an annual review by the Gordon A. Rich Memorial Foundation of recipient’s progress. This will include a detailed update of the recipient’s projects and activities during the course of the academic year.
Awards are for undergraduate study only.
Notification
Applicants will be notified in April. Not all applicants to the program will be selected as recipients.
Notifications are sent via email. When setting up your account, avoid using a school or work email. Instead, use an active, personal email address that you will continue to have access to.
Payment of Scholarships
Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of Gordon A. Rich Memorial Foundation. Payments are made in one installment in August.
Selection of Recipients
Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of:
- Academic performance (grades, standardized test scores and class rank)
- Demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities
- Work experience
- A statement of educational and career goals and objectives
- Unusual personal or family circumstances (optional)
- An online recommendation by a teacher or school counselor
- Essay of 500 words or less
The essay topic: Drawing on your own interests, accomplishments and experiences, tell how you’ve embodied the passion, spirit and ideals exemplified in the life of Gordon A. Rich. (Information about Mr. Rich is available on the Gordon A. Rich website gordonrich.org.)
In submitting your application, you will be required to attest that neither your essay, nor any portion thereof, was created by another person or by a generative artificial intelligence system.
Financial need will be considered. Preference will be given to students who demonstrate need.
Scholarship America will select up to 50 semi-finalists. The GAR Scholar Selection Committee will review finalist applications and essays and select the recipients.
Requirements
As part of your application, you must upload the following document:
- A current, complete transcript of grades. Grade reports are not accepted. Transcripts must display:
- Student name
- School name
- Grades
- Credit hours for each course and term in which each course was taken.
NOTE: SAT or ACT score is required. When providing SAT or ACT test scores, and if those scores are not listed on your high school transcript, you will need to upload a copy of your test score report(s) separately. If you are uploading a college transcript, those scores are not required.
One online recommendation form must be submitted on your behalf from a teacher or school counselor no later than 3 business days after the student application deadline.
Your application is not considered complete unless all required documents are submitted electronically.
