Criminal Justice Scholarships

Mr. Albano F. Ponte is a vital part of AFIO's "legion of merit," through active participation and time, talent and funds donated to AFIO programs and development. His generous financial donations make this scholarship possible. Eligibility: Students who are going to graduate school, focusing on International Relations and/or Intelligence, and who are either AFIO members, or children (grandchildren) of AFIO members or of serving Intelligence personnel. Non-AFIO members will be considered, so please apply if that is the only aspect an applicant lacks. Award amount is $1,000. For Graduate scholarships, applications must be submitted no earlier than your senior undergraduate year and no later than your second year of graduate studies. Evaluation criteria include merit, character, serious of academic commitment, and relevance of your studies to national security interests and career ambitions. Applications are evaluated by a special AFIO committee. Decisions are final. Tuition grants will be paid directly to the Bursar/Registrar of the University concerned –under NO circumstances will payments be made directly to awardees. All applicants must be U.S. citizens. No Scholarship will be awarded to students attending foreign universities or schools not US-accredited, nor to law, med, or business schools [foreign or domestic].

The Colonel Sully H. de Fontaine award is in honor of Col. de Fontaine's lifetime of service to the country. Eligibility: Students who are pursuing an undergraduate degree with the intent of becoming employed within the U.S. Intelligence Community. Vito W. Paladino, LTC., U.S. Army (Retired) -- A friend of Sully de Fontaine -- established this scholarship in 2010, the first year an award was made. Award continues. *Candidates should, in addition to fitting the profiles immediately above, provide the following application materials (in lieu of materials listed elsewhere in this announcement): a cover letter, Resume, a letter of recommendation, and a photograph. The cover letter should describe, in as much detail as possible,any relevant prior experience as well as the future plans of the applicant to which this grant would be applied. For Undergraduates scholarships, applicants must be entering their sophomore or junior year by the summer. Evaluation criteria include merit, character, serious of academic commitment, and relevance of your studies to national security interests and career ambitions. Applications are evaluated by a special AFIO committee. Decisions are final.

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICANT CRITERIA 1. Must be a full-time or part-time student . 2. Must be a Graduate or Undergraduate Student at an accredited four-year university in the United States: a.) Undergraduate students who wish to apply must be either a junior or senior. b.) Graduate students who wish to apply must have already competed at least one semester. 3. Must have at least a 3.5 Cumulative Grade Point Average. 4. Must be a declared Criminal Justice, Criminology, police Administration, or Police Science Major (other fields of study are not eligible). 5. Must be a United States Citizen.

Applicant must be the child of an active or former member of law enforcement and must have no more than 2 years left to finish their degree. Preference will be given to SD residents who are majoring in criminal justice. One $5,000 scholarship.

Catherine W. Pierce scholarship was established to support students who are majoring in disciplines within the Arts and/or History. Mrs. Pierce had a great interest in helping deserving students pursue the fields of Art or History. The award amount is up to $5,000. To be eligible for this scholarship students must: - Be enrolled full-time at a U.S. accredited 4 year institution - Have at least a 2.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale - Be pursuing a degree in an Art or History discipline (see eligible majors) To complete this application you will need: - To write an essay - To provide an unofficial transcript ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: MINIMUM GPA: 2.5 ETHNICITIES: African American/Black, American Indian - Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American, Hispanic American, Caucasian RESIDENCY STATUS: U.S. Citizen, U.S. national or permanent resident COLLEGES / UNIVERSITIES 4-Year Colleges ACADEMIC CLASSIFICATION College Freshman, College Sophomore, College Junior, College Senior, Master's Student MAJORS African American Studies, American Studies, Anthropology, Art, Business, Creative Design, Criminal Justice, Criminology, Culinary, Design, Economics, English, Fashion Design, Fine Arts, Graphic Arts, History, Hospitality Management, Humanities, Illustration, Industrial Design, International Studies, Journalism, Labor Studies, Mass Media Arts, Music, Performing Arts, Philosophy, Photography/Video, Political Science, Pre-Law, Public Administration, Public Administration, Public Health, Public Policy, Public Relations, Religion, Social Sciences, Social Work, Spanish, Theater Arts/Drama, Theology, TV Production, Urban Planning/Studies, Visual Arts, Vocal Performance, Women's Studies