Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund for Women

Deadline: 9 January 2013
Open to: women at least 25 years old from eligible countries studying in the U.S. or Canada with a record of service to women and children in developing countries
Grant: US $12,000

Description

For female students from developing countries who are currently studying in the United States or Canada, the Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund (MMMF) awards grants of approximately $12,000 each; grants are not renewable. The MMMF also typically invites the recipients to Washington, D.C. to participate in a three day Awards Program organized in their honor.

Eligibility

A woman is eligible to apply for an MMMF grant if she meets all the following criteria:

1. has a record of service to women and children and a commitment to improve the lives of women and children in developing countries
2. resides in the U.S. or Canada at the time she submits the application
3. is enrolled (in residence) at an accredited U.S. or Canadian educational institution for the academic year 2012-2013, and intends to be enrolled for the 2013-2014 academic year
4. will use the grant toward the completion of her degree
5. is a national of a lower or middle income developing member country, as designated by the MMMF Country Eligibility List
6. is not a U.S. or Canadian citizen, permanent U.S. resident or Canadian Landed Immigrant
7. intends to return to her country (or other developing country) within two years of completing use of the MMMF grant and perform at least two years of service
8. demonstrates financial need and satisfactory academic performance
9. is at least 25 years old by December 31, 2012
10. is not related to a World Bank Group staff member or his/her spouse

There are no exceptions to the MMMF educational grant criteria listed above.

Application

A complete application package consists of the following (NO EXCEPTIONS):

• One Online Application Form (see item A below). Click here to have a look at a draft application.
• Two Recommendations using the online form and instructions (see item B below).
• Four additional documents as listed in item C to be sent in one email.

A) Online Application: Deadline January 9th, 2013 at 5:00 pm EST

1. When you register at the WEBSITE HERE, please wait for a confirmation email before proceeding to the actual application. (This may take between 30 seconds to 24 hours.)
2. Upon receipt of your confirmation, log-in as a “Returning User”; using the same username and password confirmed in the email.
3. NOTE: your email address is your User ID ; Attempting to change your email address during the application process or clicking on the  “Register as first time user” will force you to start the process from the beginning.
4. From now on you may access your application as a Returning User.
5. The next page you will see is Instructions for Completing the Application. Read the instructions carefully then click on“Start New Application”.
6. Once you start the application, you may stop at any point by clicking the button in the bottom left corner “Save as Draft”. Some questions are for screening purposes; depending on your response, you may not be able to proceed further due to eligibility issues.
7. The next time you log in as a Returning User click on the bottom left corner “Continue Application”.
8. To edit sections previously completed or left blank, you may have to go to the box at the top upper right of the application and click on the relevant section, e.g. “Personal Information”.
9. Please note that some responses have a character limit that cannot be exceeded. (No supplementary pages will be reviewed).
10. Final word – when your application is complete, you must click on the “Submit” button to send the application to us.

B) Online Recommendation Forms: Deadline- January 11th, 2013 at 5:00 pm EST

• Two online recommendation forms are required. One must be from a professor at your present institution. The other can be from a former professor/supervisor from your country or elsewhere. At least one of these individuals should have known you for at least two semesters.
• These recommendations must be sent to scholarships@mmmf-grants.org no later than January 11th, 2013.  Please remind your referee to use the same full name for you, as per the electronic application form.

C) All documents listed below must be submitted no later than the deadline- January 11th, 2013 at 5:00 pm EST

Please scan and send the following documents in one email, as separate attachments. Send documents as word docs, pdf or jpeg. (They do not accept encoded documents.) Make sure each attachment contains your surname (last/family name, as per passport) and number that corresponds to the document numbers below. [For example,“XYZA-3.jpg” would be a copy of Ms. Xyza’s official transcript]

1. Copy of your passport picture page;
2. Copy of your US or Canada visa / study permit;
3. Copy of your Official transcript for Fall 2012, or most recent transcript, from your current university only (if your program is for research and without grades, a progress report from a supervising professor must be submitted ), with institutional seal and Registrar’s signature;
4. Official confirmation of registration in your academic institution for current semester, with institutional seal andRegistrar’s signature. Acceptance Letters are not needed and do not substitute for Proof of Registration/Enrollment.

For questions and inquiries, please see the Contact page AVAILABLE HERE.

For more information, please see the official website HERE.