PIM Education Foundation Scholarship
High School Certification Form pdf
Applicant Recommendation Form pdf
General Information
The Printing Industry Midwest Education Foundation (PIMEF) is a tax-exempt, nonprofit, charitable organization affiliated with Printing Industry Midwest a statewide trade association. The PIMEF offers between $500 and up to $2,000 renewable scholarships to those enrolled in two or four-year institutions and technical colleges offering degrees in the print communication discipline.
The foundation fosters education, research, training and career development in print communications. The Foundation facilitates and encourages entry into print communications employment through scholarships.
Scholarship Requirements
In order to ensure acceptance, students must apply for admission to an accredited technical school, college or university. The applicant is responsible for applying for admission on time and for fulfilling all admission requirements. A scholarship will be awarded only if an applicant has been admitted to a technical school, college or university approved by the PIM Education Scholarship Committee.
School Eligibility
The scholarship grants are restricted to accredited colleges, universities, and technical schools that offer established one, two, and four- year programs leading to an associate degree, bachelor’s degree, or graphic arts diploma recognized by the print communications industry, and are approved by the PIM Education Scholarship Committee.
Scholarship Award Payments
The amount of each scholarship, awarded for one year, will be paid directly to the technical school, college or university. The school will be authorized to draw upon the grant for payment of tuition, fees, and other charges.
Note: If the recipient chooses not to continue in a print communications certificate/degree program, withdraws from the educational institution for any purpose, or violates any other eligibility conditions the award will be canceled and the unspent portion, if any, will be returned to the PIM Education Scholarship Fund.
PIM Education Scholarship Committee
The PIM Education Scholarship Selection Committee of the Printing Industry Midwest Education Foundation evaluates the applicants for the Foundation’s scholarships. The membership of the PIM Education Selection Committee is composed of industry leaders experienced in the print communication industry. The number of members that constitute the selection committee is not less than five or more than ten and is determined from time to time by resolution of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. No member of the PIM Education Scholarship Committee will be eligible for a scholarship while serving on the committee and committee members will operate under a good faith obligation to disclose any relationship to the applicants under review. PIM Education Scholarship Selection committee members may not participate in the decision-making process regarding applicant to whom they are related.
What is the PIM Education Scholarship Fund?
It is a scholarship fund program, supported entirely by private contributors. It is designed to encourage the most qualified persons to seek careers in the Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, North & South Dakota print communications industry, and to provide financial assistance for the continued development of skills for graphic arts instructors in advanced technical training.
Who administers the Fund?
The fund is administered by the Printing Industry Midwest (PIM) Education Scholarship Committee of the Printing Industry Midwest Education Foundation.
Scholarship Awards
The Foundation scholarship awards are made on the basis of a competitive process which considers:
- academic achievement
- extracurricular activities
- honors and awards
- demonstrated leadership ability
- student commitment
- a statement of one’s personal aspirations
- the neatness and clarity of the application.
Applicants may be required to respond to questions offered by the Scholarship Committee during an oral interview. Scholarship awards are made at the discretion of the foundation’s Scholarship Committee. All awards are made without regard to race, creed, color gender, religion, sexual preference, or national origin.
Application Process
To apply for scholarship aid, a student must submit a completed application form and all supporting materials requested. All scholarship applications are due by April 1, 2025. Scholarship awards will be announced by letter in June. Payment will be available after July 1 and before October 1.
Student Eligibility
To be eligible to compete for a scholarship award, a student must meet all the following requirements:
- Applicant must be committed to a career in the print communications & support of the industry.
- Applicant must be a high school senior or high school graduate; diploma or GED.
- Student must be full-time. (Scholarships are not awarded for part-time study.)
- Applicant must be a resident of Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, North or South Dakota, or son or daughter of an individual employed by a Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, North & South Dakota graphic arts firm.
- Priority will be given to a son or daughter of a full-time employee of a member of the Printing Industry Midwest.
- Applicant must have attained a minimum high school grade point average of 3.0.
- Applicant must seek and gain admission to a technical school, college or university.
- Applicant must plan to pursue a degree or certificate in graphic arts and careers that support the industry.
- Recipients are eligible to apply to renew their scholarships.
- May need to interview with Scholarship committee in person or via a Zoom Meeting to
Procedure for Application
To be eligible for scholarship consideration, the following procedures are to be followed. These procedures may be modified by action of the PIM Education Scholarship Committee. Applications must be submitted prior to the date of April 1, 2025 in the calendar year for which fall admission and scholarship consideration is requested. Applications received after this date will not be considered by the PIM Education Scholarship Committee.
- The applicant, including those having graduated within the last five years or those preparing to graduate, must request that their high school transcripts and a copy of their ACT and/or SAT scores be sent directly to the PIM Education Scholarship Committee. SAT/ACT scores are not required for technical colleges. Applicants about to take the SAT/ACT should submit their scores upon completion of the testing process.
- Applicants must mail the following credentials to the PIM Education Scholarship Committee prior to the deadline date April 1, 2025.
- A copy of a completed technical school, college or university admission application form.
- A completed PIM Education Scholarship application form.
- Applicant’s career plan letter.
- If enrolled at a college, university, or technical school applicant must declare that they are a “graphic arts” or “printing major/concentration”.
Procedure for selection
The scholarship candidates for two and four-year institutions are judged on the following basis. If a person graduated within the last five years or is graduating in the near future, they must provide the following:
- Their high school academic records.
- Percentile rank in class.
- Recommendations offered from guidance counselors, advisors, teachers, principals, employers or other adults (other than family members).
- Biographical records which indicate academic honors, extracurricular activities, etc.
- Their ACT and SAT scores. The SAT must total at least 970 and ACT at least 23. The SAT/ACT tests are not required for technical school candidates.
- Applicant’s two recommendation forms completed by a high school teacher, principal, advisor, counselor, employer or another adult (other than family members). If a person graduated five years ago, they are required to provide as much of the above information as is available or provide an explanation of why they cannot.
Award condition
No PIM Education Scholarship award will be paid unless individual continues to meet all eligibility requirements and the following criteria:
- Meets all admission requirements of the technical school, college or university.
- Has signed and returned the terms of Grant Agreement to the Fund.
- The recipient has notified the Fund of the name of the technical school, college, or university in which he/she has been accepted.
- The technical school, college or university has verified the student’s enrollment.
Amount of awards
Scholarship awards begin at $500 and can be as much as $2500 or more based on the input from the scholarship committee. Most scholarships are based on earnings from the investments of the fund, so amounts may vary from year to year. The payments will be made directly to the educational facility.
Selection of finalists
The finalists and the amount of each scholarship will be determined by the PIM Education Scholarship Committee based on the aforementioned criteria and the information submitted by the applicant.
Announcement of winners
Scholarship winners will be notified by letter in May. Each scholarship award becomes official when the winner returns the scholarship acceptance form and the attending school has verified enrollment in program.
Renewal of the PIM scholarship
A previous winner may apply for renewal of the scholarship each year for up to four years, by submitting a letter of request for renewal to the PIM Education Scholarship Committee, c/o the Printing Industry Midwest. A current transcript forwarded by their educational facility acknowledging that the candidate has maintained an overall GPA of 3.0 must also be sent, and (1) letter of recommendation. Renewal requests should be received by April 1, 2025.
