Making Education Affordable – Roofing Industry Scholarships!

By Kole Moxley, RCS Intern. 

This list of scholarships is sure to help even out the costs of postsecondary educations. 

It’s no secret that postsecondary education is getting more expensive each academic year. These rising costs are making it much harder for some to justify pursuing different forms of postsecondary education such as four- or two-year universities and trade schools.  

Scholarship season generally lasts from the beginning of a new year until late spring of that same year. With it already being summer, many scholarships are already closed, but there are still some available, here are some of the opportunities we found! 

Roger D. Urbach Memorial Scholarship 

The final active scholarship comes from San Diego Roofing Contractors Association (SDRCA). This scholarship is only available to the employees and immediate family of SDRCA, and all applications must be completed and postmarked on or before July 8, 2022. There are multiple awards distributed at varying amounts of up to $2,500.  

Eligibility requirements are as follows: 

• Must be a high school senior, undergraduate or graduate student at a college or university 

• Employees and immediate family of SDRCA 

The applications themselves consist of the following: 

• A neatly completed application form 

• A letter from the applicants current or future school 

• An official high school and college transcript (if in college) 

• Two evaluation sheets with one being complete by a school advisor, and the other by an adult not related to the applicant 

The awards are split in half, with one part going directly to the school to account for the applicant’s financial aid, and the other half goes directly to the applicant. The applicant can also submit an image of themselves to be featured when the winners of the scholarship are announced! 

Castagra Roofing Scholarship 

Castagra Roofing was born after taking their sustainable roofing products onto the Canadian television show Dragons’ Den, a competitive show for entrepreneurs who pitch their product to a lineup of hosts who decide whether to invest in their products. Their scholarship currently has a deadline of August 29, 2022 and is $1,000 awarded to one person. 

Eligibility requirements are as follows: 

• Interested in pursuing a career in roofing or a similar field, with a passion for innovation and sustainability.  

• Must also be a U.S. or Canadian citizen or permanent resident  

• Pursing post-secondary education. 

The application consists of a 500-1,000-word essay about the applicants’ goals and contribution to the roofing industry. 

The following scholarships have already ended their 2022-2023 academic year applications but recur every year and are great to keep your eye on! 

Florida Chapter of IIBEC Scholarship  

The next active scholarship is from the Florida Chapter of International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants (IIBEC). The 2022 deadline for this scholarship this year was June 30, and this scholarship is awarded to two or three winners ranging from $500 to $3000, depending on the number of applicants. 

Eligibility requirements are as follows: 

• Currently enrolled in a construction related trade or degree program at a school in the United States 

• Have at least one term remaining in their studies 

• Desire a career in a construction related field 

• Be a Florida Resident 

The application consists of a 1,000-word essay detailing what sparked your interest in the construction industry, and how raw material shortages affect construction projects. The essay should also include details about the applicant as well as reference the oil crisis. Along with the essay applicants must submit two professor references, an unofficial transcript, and will have to conduct a face-to-face panel interview, should the applicant be named a finalist.  

Jim Nienow Scholarship 

This scholarship, ran by the Roofing Contractors Association of Southern California, awards multiple students with amounts ranging from $500 to $2,500 with a total of $10,000 distributed to all recipients combined. The due date for this scholarship this past year was in early June. 

Eligibility requirements are as follows: 

• Must be a high school senior, undergraduate, or graduate student at a college or university 

• Employees and immediate family of Roofing Contractors Association of Southern California 

The applications themselves consist of the following: 

• A neatly completed application form 

• A letter from the applicants current or future school 

• An official high school and college transcript (if in college) 

• Two evaluation sheets with one being complete by a school advisor, and the other by an adult not related to the applicant 

The awards are split in half, with one part going directly to the school to account for the applicant’s financial aid, and the other half goes directly to the applicant. The applicant can also submit an image of themselves to be featured when the winners of the scholarship are announced! 

NEREF Scholarships 

The North East Roofing Educational Foundation (NEREF) was formed as a non-profit organization to provide financial support for North East Roofing Contractors Association (NERCA) roofing contractor employees and immediate family. This program awards 15 scholarships, each worth $3,000. The application for these scholarships were due around mid-May this past academic year.  

Eligibility requirements are as follows: 

• Must be a high school senior, undergraduate, or graduate student at a college or university 

• Members of NERCA, their employees, or their respective immediate family 

The application consists of filling out and mailing a form alongside a current and complete academic transcript.  

Robert W. Lyons Award 

This scholarship, named after the founder of International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants (IIBEC), awards up to four scholarships of $5,000 to undergraduate students only. The scholarship can only be claimed once and is not available to the employees of IIBC or their families. This scholarship’s application period ended in mid-April this year. 

Eligibility requirements are as follows: 

• Current undergraduate or graduate student who has completed a minimum of 24 credit hours and is planning to enroll full-time at an accredited college, university or vocational-technical school for the entire 2022-2023 academic year in an accredited program of architecture, construction, building sciences, or engineering leading to a career in the construction or building envelope industry 

• Have a minimum grade point average of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale or the equivalent 

• Be a citizen of the United States or Canada attending an accredited school in the United States or Canada 

Application for this scholarship consists of a current and complete academic transcript, Pages one and two of a parents IRS 1040 form (or the students if they are financially independent), two letters of recommendation from a non-related adult, and an application essay.  

RCI Lewis W. Newlan Award 

Named after longtime International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants (IIBEC) member, Lewis Newlan, this scholarship awards up to four students $2,500, and allows for recipients to reapply each year. This scholarship is for undergraduate and graduate students.  This scholarship is not available to the employees of IIBC or their families. This scholarship’s application period ended in mid-April this year. 

Eligibility requirements are as follows: 

• Current undergraduate or graduate student who has completed a minimum of 24 credit hours and is planning to enroll full-time at an accredited college, university or vocational-technical school for the entire 2022-2023 academic year in an accredited program of architecture, construction, building sciences, or engineering leading to a career in the construction or building envelope industry 

• Have a minimum grade point average of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale or the equivalent 

• Be a citizen of the United States or Canada attending an accredited school in the United States or Canada 

Application for this scholarship consists of a current and complete academic transcript, Pages one and two of a parents IRS 1040 form (or the students if they are financially independent), two letters of recommendation from a non-related adult, and an application essay.  

Davis Memorial Foundation Scholarship 

This scholarship, created in memory of Larry and Mary Davis, is put on each year by the Western States Roofers Contractors Association. The scholarship has no set number of awards to be distributed, and this past year the awards were worth $5,000. For the 2022-2023 academic year, the application period ended in late April.  

Eligibility requirements are as follows: 

• Planning to enroll full-time at an accredited college, university or vocational-technical school for the entire 2022-2023 academic year 

• Be affiliated with the roofing industry 

• Resident of a states covered by WSRCA (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming) 

The application requires a copy of all transcripts, a letter of recommendation by a non-family member, and to completely fill out the online application form. 

MRCA Foundation Scholarship 

Each year, the Midwest Roofing Contractors Association has a scholarship program that awards a different number of students each year, with the amount also changing depending on the year. This past year, the application had to be post marked by early June. 

Eligibility requirements are as follows: 

• Association with an active MRCA Member 

• A written statement from the educational institution where the trade-related, undergraduate or graduate work will be undertaken, indicating provisional acceptance of the student at the institution  

The application consists of a fully completed application form, a transcript from the applicant’s current educational institution showing at least a 3.0 GPA, two letters of recommendation, submitted by persons at least 18 years of age who are not related to the candidate. Only one letter of recommendation may come from a Director of MRCA, however, none may come from a Director of the MRCA Foundation, and a typed essay of no more than one page, explaining why the applicant is interested in pursuing a degree in the construction industry or related field and any steps that have been taken to pursue this goal including relevant honors, activities, or employment 

SOPREMA Scholarship 

SOPREMA established its scholarship program as a commitment to the continued success and growth of our industry by investing in the next generation dedicated to the building envelope. The SOPREMA Scholarship assists undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in architecture, engineering, construction management or a similar field at an accredited four-year college or university. Up to four awards are given out each year, worth $5,000.  

Eligibility requirements are as follows: 

• High school seniors or graduates or current postsecondary undergraduate or graduate students pursuing a degree in architecture, engineering, construction management or a similar field 

• Planning to enroll in full-time undergraduate or graduate study at an accredited four-year college or university for the entire academic year 

•  SOPREMA employees and their family members are ineligible 

This application is available online and will reopen for the 2023-2024 academic year at the end of the summer! 

Melvin Kruger Endowed Scholarship Program 

This program, operated by the Roofing Alliance, contains three different programs to support various types of applicants. The first scholarship within this program is the Accredited Post-Secondary Institution Scholarship, the second is the Accredited Career Technical Education Scholarship, and the last being the diversity scholarship. Unlike the other scholarships listed, the date to apply for these scholarships is in late January. 

Eligibility requirements are as follows: 

• High school seniors or graduates or current postsecondary undergraduate or graduate students   

• Full time employees of a roofing industry company, or their immediate family 

There are some minor differences between the three’s requirements, however. 

The Accredited Career Technical Education Scholarship has an added requirement of pursuing a career within the roofing industry 

The Diversity Scholarship is open to African American, Black, Hispanic or Latino, Asian, Pacific Islanders, Native American, Native Hawaiian, Indigenous, LGBTQ+ and multi-racial students. All female students are also eligible regardless of race or ethnicity. Any other students who come from backgrounds that would add to the cause of diversity, regardless of race or gender, are eligible to apply, including applicants with physical, mental or other disabilities. 

Be sure to keep an eye out for all these roofing industry scholarships, and more, to help make post-secondary education more affordable! 

Keep an eye out for roofing industry scholarships on the RCS Scholarships page!