Scholarships

The Illinois State Alliance of YMCAs offers scholarships for leadership development opportunities to Y staff in Illinois to help grow Y capacity. We have revised the scholarship policy to encourage as many Ys as possible to utilize these funds.

Scholarship Guidelines (Effective 1/1/18)

• Deadline Dates are quarterly – February 1, May 1, August 1, November 1

• Limit of $300 per calendar year per person, but an additional $300 per calendar year per person may be available to support anti-racism/DEI specific training.

• Scholarships paid to YMCA – not individual

• Priority given for state alliance, neighborhood and Y-USA events and trainings. Stipends can be awarded to staff pursuing baccalaureate degrees and non-YMCA training

• Any Y staff member (Exempt, non-exempt, FT, PT) of a Illinois State Alliance YMCA in good standing (dues up to date) can apply

• Applicants are encouraged to apply for scholarship assistance from YUSA first, and if denied, then the Alliance. If the alliance scholarship deadline may pass prior to a response from YUSA, the applicant can apply for an Alliance scholarship, but if awarded a YUSA scholarship, the Alliance scholarship will not be applicable.

• Applicants are required to have a professional development plan in place at their YMCA and must have approval from their CEO / branch executive to submit an application. The CEO of the applicant will be cc’d on the scholarship award letter.

• Once the training is complete – payment can be made, once documentation of payment and proof of attendance or certification is submitted.

• Individuals with an awarded scholarship may transfer the award to another training if the training applied for is not attended or unavailable

• Individuals with an awarded scholarship may transfer the award to another staff member within their YMCA with permission of their CEO, but the new staff member must complete an application for Alliance record-keeping purposes.

Please complete the Scholarship Application below.

Your Information

Email:

Your Name:

Address:

City, State, Zip:

Telephone:

YMCA Information

Your YMCA:

Position:

Four Digit YMCA Association Number:

Indicate current level of YMCA certification:

Full Time or Part Time:

TYPE OF REQUEST

Event start date

Statement for request - enter the training course/event for which you are requesting assistance and the purpose of the training/event. For example, is this a DEI training, part of your professional development plan? Are you applying for LCC credit toward recertification of multi-team or organizational leader certification?

STATEMENT FOR REQUEST

Statement.

Please provide a statement on how the requested assistance will help you/team reach your/team professional development and/or career goals.

IDENTIFICATION OF FUNDS

Individual Registration Fee:

Estimated Travel Expenses:

Estimated Other Expenses:

TOTAL EXPENSES

Total amount your YMCA is paying:

Total Amount of funds being requested from the Alliance Fund (Up to $300):

(security question) What color is the sky?

FAQs

Can I receive financial assistance from YUSA’s Online Grant System & apply for funding from the Illinois State Alliance of YMCA?

No, as the resources we have to dispense are limited, we need to allocate as much financial assistance as we can across the State. If this is a Y-USA training and or event, you must provide documentation that you have been denied funding from Y-USA’s Online Grant System.

How do I begin the process of applying for funds?

Have a conversation with your supervisor, Executive Director or CEO in regards to your professional development and identify the need for additional training and/or skill sets that will further the individuals skill sets and professional development. A professional development plan must be in place before applying for funds.

What is a professional development plan?

Your request for assistance should reflect how the planned training or event will support your development as indicated in your Leadership Competency Assessment in combination with an individualized gap report which reflects where you are on the path to leadership certification as a Team Leader, Multi-Team Leader or Organizational Leader. Both of these tools are available on the YUSA Learning & Career Development Center (LCDC) website and should have been completed and reviewed with your supervisor within the past 12 months. A career planning tool is to assist you and your supervisor can be found on LINK under My Career or follow this link:

Once I have been approved for scholarship, how do I get reimbursed for the training?

Scan your documentation (payment of training, proof of attendance and or certification issued) and email them to Christy Filby. Reimbursements are mailed within 30 days of receipt of documentation.

I still have more questions. Who can I contact?

Contact Christy Filby by email or 309-798-3423.