Women’s Initiative (WIN) Endowed Scholarship

About the Scholarship

The Women’s Initiative (WIN) Endowed Scholarship has been created to address the challenge of under-representation of women in the financial planner workforce. It assists qualified women/femme students and professionals who are committed to attaining CFP® certification and to the practice of financial planning.

CFP Board launched its Women’s Initiative (WIN) in 2013 with the aim to attract, develop and advance women in financial planning by providing educational resources, networking opportunities and advocacy for gender diversity. That same year, the WIN Council, an advisory group composed of women leaders from across the financial planning ecosystem, was formed to provide guidance and feedback on the initiative’s programs.

The scholarship awards up to $5,000 per student seeking to complete an undergraduate-level or a certificate-level CFP Board Registered Program, either of which would qualify the student to sit for the CFP® exam.

eligibility Requirements

• Must not be a prior recipient of a CFP Board Center for Financial Planning scholarship;
• Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident;
• Must identify as female or non-binary;
• In order to receive the award, must be enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate or certificate-level CFP Board Registered Program. Click here for a list of eligible programs.
  • If not enrolled at the time of applying, scholarship awardees will have up to 3 months to enroll or forfeit the award;
  • If applying for an undergraduate-level scholarship, must not be in the final semester at the time of the application;
  • If applying for a certificate-level scholarship, must possess an undergraduate degree and must not have completed 6 or more courses in the certificate-level program at the time of the application.
• Must provide documentation of enrollment in an eligible program and costs prior to receiving the award;
• Must provide a statement detailing financial need;
• Must demonstrate commitment to the financial planning profession, as explained in an essay to be submitted during the application process; and
• Applicants will be required to pass a background check conducted by CFP Board and must maintain the profession’s public image.

Submission Requirements

Please note that applications will only be accepted through this webpage. Please do not attempt to submit application materials via email, mail or fax.

When submitting application essays and materials, please pay close attention to spelling and grammar, as that will be factored into the grading process.

AWARD PROCESS

Scholarship awards will be disbursed in two equal installments. To receive the first installment, recipients must demonstrate proof of enrollment in an eligible undergraduate or certificate-level CFP Board Registered Program. If not currently enrolled in a program, recipients will have up to 3 months to enroll after being notified of the award. The second installment will be awarded either upon completing the program (if the awardee has already started coursework) or when the awardee is half-way through the program (if the awardee has not yet started coursework).

Application Deadline

The application window will open on Tuesday, August 27, 2024 and has been extended to October 15, 2024.

AWARD DECISION

Scholarship applicants will be notified of award decision via email on December 2, 2024. If you have a question about the status of your application, please contact us at [email protected].