Many bright and capable students are eager to shape the future of structural engineering—but too often, financial and systemic barriers stand in the way. The NCSEA Foundation believes the profession is strongest when it reflects the diversity of the communities it serves.
The NCSEA Diversity in Structural Engineering Scholarship Program was established in 2020 to support students who have been historically underrepresented in structural engineering (including but not limited to Black/African Americans, Native/Indigenous Americans, Hispanics/Latinos or Spanish, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, LGBTQIA+ individuals, people with disabilities, and veterans). Multiple scholarships are awarded each year to junior college, undergraduate, and graduate students pursuing structural engineering degrees at accredited institutions across the United States.
Donors—whether SEAs, firms, or individuals—can play a direct role in shaping this future. Depending on the contribution level, you can establish an endowed scholarship, create a named scholarship, or make a one-time gift to the NCSEA Diversity in Structural Engineering Scholarship Fund to provide immediate support to deserving students.
Giving Opportunities
The NCSEA Foundation welcomes donations to support:
- Endowed Scholarships: Donations (or pledges) of $50,000 or more may be used to create endowed scholarships
- Named Scholarships: Donations (or pledges) of $15,000 or more may be used to establish named scholarships
- NCSEA Diversity in SE Scholarships: Donations of any amount may be made in support of the existing NCSEA Foundation scholarship program
For more information and to establish an endowed or named scholarship, please contact Jillian Kilker, NCSEA Foundation Chief Development Officer.
Endowed Scholarship
Creating an endowed scholarship provides critical support to increase diversity in structural engineering in perpetuity.
An endowed scholarship is established with a donation (or pledge) of $50,000 or more. A donor can establish an endowed scholarship with a minimum initial donation of $20,000 and a pledged commitment to grow the endowment fund balance to $50,000 over a three-year period. The donation will be permanently invested with the intent to obtain a 5% average annual return.
For endowments funded with an initial donation of less than $50,000, scholarships will be awarded from the fund balance in the amount of $2,500 until such time as the subsequent donations to the fund yield a balance of $50,000 or more.
Once the endowment reaches a minimum balance of $50,000, scholarship awards are made from earnings in accordance with the NCSEA Foundation Investment Policy Statement (IPS) spending guidelines (IPS in development). The policy has a 5% maximum annual spending policy. Scholarship awards will be made from the fund earnings, beginning one year after achieving a $50,000 balance. The corpus will always remain intact and earnings above the 5% will be applied to the corpus. Subsequent gifts to the endowed scholarship are applied to the corpus. As the endowment grows or shrinks, the amount and/or number of scholarships may change accordingly.
Named Scholarship
Creating a named scholarship provides a multi-year award for critical and immediate tuition assistance to support traditionally underrepresented demographics in structural engineering.
A named scholarship is established with a donation (or pledge) of $15,000 or more. A donor can establish a named scholarship with a minimum initial donation of $5,000 and a pledged commitment to provide the remaining $10,000 within a two-year period.
The amount of scholarship awarded each year must be a minimum of $2,500. Named scholarships will be awarded for as many consecutive years as the funds are available, but the named scholarship must be awarded for a minimum of three years. The name associated with the scholarship will remain with the fund until such time as the fund is depleted or discontinued by the donor, the NCSEA Foundation, or both.
For all named scholarships, the NCSEA Foundation charges a flat $500 annual administrative fee.
| Endowed Scholarship | Named Scholarship | Donation to Support NCSEA Scholarships | |
| Minimum Commitment Amount | $50,000 | $15,000 | Any Amount |
| Input to Student Eligibility Requirements | Yes | Yes | No |
| Provide Schools/Contacts for Scholarship Outreach | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Input to Scholarship Recipient Selection Process | Yes | Yes | No |
| Acknowledgment in Scholarship Advertising | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Acknowledgement on Webpage, Social Media | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ability to Connect with Scholarship Winners | Yes | Yes | No |
| Access to Roster of Applicants (Nationwide) | Yes | No | No |