New Hampshire Friendship Chorus
NHFC Scholarship Procedures
Policy:
The NHFC has a policy of granting scholarships to singers who can contribute to the diversity, effectiveness and vocal quality of the Chorus, as well as assist with rehearsals and tour tasks as described on the application form. Beginning with the 2017 registrations, a scholarship fee was incorporated in the pricing for all participants. It is the intent of NHFC to use the funds so raised to fund some of the cost of the trip to those awarded scholarships. Any excess scholarship fees will be retained in a restricted account to apply toward scholarship on future trips.
Eligibility:
Any singer may apply for a scholarship even though he/she may have received scholarships in the past. If a singer receiving a scholarship goes on the extension trip, the board reserves the right to deduct the extension trip cost from the scholarship award. Board members may not apply for scholarships.
Application Process:
The Application form will be posted to the NHFC website, linking to a Google Forms document. The Application will be posted in the summer prior to registration and must be submitted two weeks before scholarship award on November 1 of that year.
When the form is submitted, all members of the Scholarship committee, the Conductor and the President of the NHFC Board will receive an email containing the details of the submission.
Amount of Fee and of Awards:
The amount of the scholarship fee to tour participants will be determined by the Board when it sets the estimated cost for the tour.
For example, the Awards given for 2017 amounted to slightly more than 50% of the trip costs, and were awarded equally to 5 applicants. Since we do not collect financial information, there is no way under current procedure to equitably award different amounts to applicants.
Award Process:
All applications are reviewed by the Conductor, the President of the Board, and the Scholarship Committee to assess musical background and willingness to promote the mission of NHFC. It is presumed that applicants, by submitting the application, acknowledge their need for financial assistance in order to participate in the tour.
Applicants shall be vetted by the Conductor and Scholarship Committee, and a recommendation of awards submitted to the Board of NHFC. This can be done by email. The Board will vote to approve (or not) this recommendation.
Applicants will be notified by email on November 1 by the President of NHFC or the Chair of the Scholarship Committee. A formal letter confirming this award will be sent by the Treasurer shortly after.
Closing the Application Process:
Once scholarships have been awarded, the application process is complete. Additional funds remaining in the Scholarship Account shall be retained for future tour scholarships.
Follow-up Evaluation Process: Following the awarding of scholarships, the Committee shall discuss problems that may have arisen with the process, and make recommendations to the Board for improvements to the process.