Scholarships for Local Women

The AAUW Greater Naples Branch and the Greater Naples AAUW Charitable Foundation, Inc. Announce the Availability of 2025 Scholarships!  

Since its creation by members of the AAUW Greater Naples Branch in 2001, the Greater Naples AAUW Charitable Foundation, Inc. (“Foundation”) has awarded academic scholarships annually to deserving local women upon the recommendations of the Scholarship Committee. 

Fifteen amazing women were awarded $2000 scholarships in 2024.  We proudly awarded seven scholarships to local women who are age 21 or over, five scholarships to local women pursuing STEM degrees, and three scholarships to local future teachers.  Click here to read about these outstanding local women:  2024 Scholarship Awards.

The scholarship programs, in brief are:
—Scholarships for Local Women, Age 21 or Over:
This scholarship program was created over 20 years ago to assist women returning to college, who typically have little access to tuition assistance, to obtain degrees and achieve greater economic security for themselves and their families. 
— STEM Scholarships:
Since the establishment of endowments for such scholarships in 2018, we have annually awarded scholarships to local women of any age pursuing bachelor’s or master’s degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics.  These scholarships are designed to increase representation of women in careers in STEM fields where women are under-represented.
—Future Educator Scholarships:
Recognizing the critical need for more classroom teachers, our Future Educator Scholarship Funds were created in 2023 to assist students of any age who are pursuing a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, elementary, or secondary education or a post-bachelor’s teacher credential certificate.

You Can Invest in the Future of Deserving Local Women!

The Foundation raises funds for scholarships by various means, including individual donations.  If you are interested in helping deserving local women achieve their dreams of college and careers, contributions may be made by clicking the yellow Donate button on the right of your screen or by check made payable to “Greater Naples AAUW Charitable Foundation, Inc.” designated for the scholarship fund of your choice, and mailed to the Greater Naples AAUW Charitable Foundation, Inc., PO Box 9742, Naples, FL 34101.

Donations designated for scholarships with no other designation will go into the scholarship fund selected by the Foundation Board on the recommendation of the Scholarship Committee.  Your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

We offer a one-time Named Scholarship Opportunity.  This is an opportunity for business owners, individuals and families to provide and name a one year scholarship without the responsibility of recruiting or selecting scholarship candidates and without an on-going financial commitment.  Click the link for more information: Named Scholarship Opportunity.

INFORMATION FOR SCHOLARSHIP APPLICANTS

Scholarship applications normally become available on this page on or about December 10.  The application deadline is February 15, 2025.

Click here to access the Scholarship Application form.
Please read all eligibility criteria below.

Women awarded scholarships are invited to attend, as our guests, the scholarship awards luncheon normally held on the first Saturday in April. In 2025, the scholarship awards luncheon will be held on Saturday, April 5.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

The Foundation administers several scholarship funds that award tuition assistance to local women who meet the Eligibility Criteria described below, as determined by the Scholarship Committee. The Foundation’s scholarship policies and procedures are posted on the Foundation’s page of this website.  Check back in the Fall for scholarship application availability and the submission deadline.

Eligibility Criteria for All Scholarship Funds. The following criteria apply to all scholarship funds administered by the Foundation. Each applicant must:

• Be a resident of Collier County or southern Lee County, Florida;
• Participate in an interview with the Scholarship Committee;
• Provide a minimum of two acceptable letters of recommendation; and
• Submit a completed application and the required references, transcripts, and essay by the specified deadline.

Previous applicants and awardees may re-apply for all scholarship funds.

Additional Eligibility Criteria for Specific Scholarship Funds. The following additional criteria apply to the specific scholarship funds administered by the Foundation:

1. Local Scholarship Fund (for adult women). Scholarships normally are awarded annually from the Local Scholarship Fund. In addition to meeting the eligibility criteria for all scholarship funds, described above, each applicant must:

• Be at least 21 years old;
• Be currently accepted to or enrolled in a program of study at an ac-credited college or university, and pursuing an associate’s, bachelors, masters, or clinical doctorate degree;
• Demonstrate a satisfactory academic record with a grade point aver-age of 3.0 or higher;
• Demonstrate a need for financial assistance; and
• Submit an essay addressing why she has decided to pursue a career in her chosen field, which essay may be shared with donors.

2. The Blanche and John Rebar STEM Scholarship Fund. The Blanche and John Rebar Scholarship Fund, an endowed fund, honors the memory of Blanche Rebar, a longtime and dedicated member of AAUW and of the AAUW Greater Naples Branch, and John Rebar, her husband, who supported her and AAUW’s mission of promoting equity for women and girls. The Blanche and John Rebar Scholarship Fund awards one STEM scholarship in odd-numbered years. Please read more about Blanche Rebar and her many contributions to AAUW below. In addition to meeting the eligibility criteria for all scholarship funds, described above, each applicant must:

• Be a graduating high school senior or an older student;
• Be currently accepted to or enrolled at an accredited four-year college or university;
• Be pursuing or intending to obtain a Bachelors’ or Masters’ degree in one of the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines;
• Have a grade point average of 3.5 or higher; and
• Submit an essay addressing why she has decided to pursue a career in her chosen STEM field, which essay may be shared with the Fund’s founding donors and other donors.

5. 3. The Laura A. Candris STEM Scholarship Fund. The Laura A. Candris Scholarship Fund, an endowed fund, was established by Aris S. Candris to honor his wife, a dedicated member of AAUW and of the AAUW Greater Naples Branch. The Laura A. Candris Scholarship Fund awards one STEM scholarship in even-numbered years. Each applicant must meet all of the eligibility criteria applicable to The Blanche and John Rebar Scholarship Fund, described above.
   4. The McMahon Foundation Scholarship Fund for Adult Women. The McMahon Foundation Scholarship Fund for Adult Women, an endowed fund, annually awards a scholarship to a local woman who meets all the criteria for the Local Scholarship Fund. Timothy S. McMahon, President of TSM Management and TSM Consulting & Capitol, established the McMahon Foundation for the purpose of providing assistance to organizations and individuals that align with his values and beliefs. He selected the Greater Naples AAUW Charitable Foundation, Inc. to establish the McMahon Foundation Endowed Scholarship Fund for adult women based on its 20-year history of providing academic scholarships to deserving local women.
   5. STEM Scholarship Fund. Scholarships may be awarded annually from the STEM Scholarship Fund to applicant(s) who meet all of the criteria for The Blanche and John Rebar Scholarship Fund, described above.
   6. The McMahon Foundation Scholarship Fund. This endowed scholarship fund annually awards a scholarship to a local woman who meets all of the criteria for the Local Scholarship Fund or all or the criteria for the STEM Scholarship Fund, as determined by the Scholarship Committee.
   7. Scholarship for Future Educators. This scholarship is limited to future early childhood, elementary, and secondary education teachers. Those pursuing educational supervisory,  counselor, or specialist  degrees are not eligible.  In addition to satisfying the foregoing and meeting the eligibility criteria for all scholarship funds described above, each applicant must:

• • Be a woman of any age;
  • Be currently accepted to or enrolled in a program leading to teacher certification at an accredited college or university;
  • Be pursuing or intending to obtain:

(i) a Bachelor’s degree in early childhood, elementary, secondary, or special education; or

(ii) a post-bachelor’s Teacher Credential Certificate; 

• • Demonstrate a satisfactory academic record with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher;
  • Demonstrate a need for financial assistance; 
  • Submit an essay addressing why she has decided to pursue a career as a teacher, which essay may be shared with donors.

For additional information about scholarships, you may contact the Chair of the Scholarship Committee Jeannine Stetson at 239-961-3481 or jeannine07@gmail.com.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Blanche Rebar’s Lasting Legacy
by Sharon Perrino
The AAUW Greater Naples Branch lost a valued member in July of 2017 when Blanche Rebar passed away at the age of 94. An immigrant from Czechoslovakia pre-WWII, Blanche followed her American dream. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from the Illinois Institute of Technology and a Master’s degree in Bacteriology from Loyola University. She met and married John Rebar, Jr. in Chicago, raised two sons, Robert and Alan, and taught Medical Technology.
Throughout her life, Blanche was committed to the advancement of women through education, a founding goal of AAUW. She championed a woman’s right to choose and picketed for that right. She encouraged young women to pursue an education in the sciences—like the Branch’s STEM Girls Count program does today.
Blanche was a model of lifelong learning and commitment to education. She was a skilled linguist, having mastered seven languages. Even in retirement, she enjoyed teaching English as a second language and learning. Her son Alan commented “Around the time my mother was retiring from teaching medical technology, she became acquainted with a young blind child. One of the challenges the child faced was a shortage of textbooks in Braille. My mother’s response was absolutely typical–she learned to type Braille and proceeded to translate textbooks into Braille that would carry the child through high school.”
Blanche exemplified the principles of AAUW, and John supported Blanche’s endeavors and AAUW’s mission of promoting equity for women and girls. To honor them, their sons and daughters-in-law, Robert W. Rebar, MD, Margo S. Rebar, Alan H. Rebar, DVM, PhD, and Susan A. McLaughlin, DVM, have established The Blanche and John Rebar Scholarship Fund of the Greater Naples AAUW Charitable Foundation, Inc., an endowed fund to provide scholarships for local women pursuing, or intending to obtain, a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree in one of the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines and who otherwise meet the criteria for such scholarships as determined by the Foundation’s Scholarship Committee. The generosity of the Rebar family will allow Blanche Rebar’s commitment to education to continue for years to come.
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The Greater Naples AAUW Charitable Foundation, Inc. is an affiliate of AAUW. For more than 130 years, AAUW has worked to improve the lives of millions of women and their families. Membership is open to everyone holding an associate degree or equivalent, bachelors or higher degree, and to those pursuing a college degree.

The Greater Naples AAUW Charitable Foundation, Inc. is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization (EIN 59-3704754), regulated by the State of Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Registration No. CH 13573. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMA-TION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE WITHIN THE STATE OF FLORIDA (1-800-435- 7352). or clicking here. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.  Your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.