Several scholarships are available from St. Paul's United Methodist Church Foundation due to the generosity of church members who have endowed funds. Their gifts have been given in love, with hope for the future as students are supported in their educational pursuits.
Click on the links below to obtain Information about each scholarship and an application form.
In addition, the Iowa United Methodist Foundation and the United Methodist Church General Board of Higher Education and Ministry offer a variety of scholarships and loans to students attending United Methodist and other accredited colleges and universities. Some scholarships and loans are reserved for seminary students
The application and all supportive documentation must be postmarked or received no later than April 15 each year.
Eligibility Criteria:
Each applicant must be a member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, or a participant in the church’s ministries.
Each applicant must be pursuing a post-secondary education in an accredited college, university, community college, vocational or technical school, not including continuing education. However, programs not meeting the described criteria may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
One scholarship will be reserved annually for an applicant pursuing a career in Christian Education or Religious Music, if received. The scholarship recipients and the amount of the St. Paul’s scholarships will be determined by the Foundation Scholarship Committee, made up entirely of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church members. All applicants, recipients and those not receiving a scholarship award, will be notified no later than the last Friday in May each year.
The St. Paul’s Scholarships originated from a gift to provide scholarship funds to local orphaned children from the estate of Cornelius Arnold, received in the mid-1940’s. In subsequent years additional amounts have been added to the original gift and the focus has broadened to support graduating high school students and persons pursuing college or other post-high school education. Read about each scholarship below.
The Fran and Stan Richardson Scholarship is to be awarded annually in the amount of $1,000 and originated with a gift from Fran Richardson. The scholarship has been endowed by a gift from Robert and Pamela Richardson.
The Dr. Mary E. Wilson Scholarship is to be awarded annually in the amount of $1,000 to a person pursuing a degree in education. It was established by her children Alan Wilson and Fred and Karen Wilson in memory of Dr. Wilson, a long-time professor at Kirkwood Community College and an active member of St. Paul's UMC.
The Robert James (R. J.) & Grace M. Noonan Scholarship is to be awarded annually in the amount of $500 to a graduate of Cedar Rapids Washington or Jefferson High Schools and was established by Grace Noonan from gifts in memory of Robert Noonan. Preference will be given to a student interested in a career in teaching at the K-12 level.
The Joel Hermann Scholarship is to be awarded annually in the amount of $2,500 to a graduate of Kennedy High School. Preference will be given to a student pursuing a degree in education. This endowment was established in 2021 by Edgar and Patricia Hermann in memory of their son.
Number of Scholarships Available: 2
Scholarship Award Amount: $ 2800 (over 4 years)
The Leola Z. Clark Scholarship is a need-based, general scholarship available to any high school senior who is a resident of the Wellington Heights neighborhood.
This scholarship originated from a gift from Leola Clark, a long-time member of St. Paul’s UMC. Mrs. Clark was a pioneer in the insurance business in Cedar Rapids. Circumstances in her early life forced her to leave high school, earn her GED, and enter the workforce. She did so successfully, becoming one of the first female underwriters. She established a scholarship program with our foundation to assist graduates with their college plans. Leola died at the age of 103, in 2009.
The application and all supportive documentation must be postmarked or received no later than April 15 each year.
Eligibility Criteria:
The applicant must be pursuing a post-secondary education in an accredited college, university, community college, vocational or technical school, not including continuing education.
The applicant must live in Wellington Heights, which is bound by 1st Ave NE, 19th St SE, Mt. Vernon Rd SE, and 10th St. SE.
The applicant must be graduating from high school during the current school year.
The applicant must have a financial need – annual family income cannot exceed $53,640.
All applicants, both the recipient and those not receiving a scholarship award, will be notified no later than the last Friday in May. Payment of all scholarship awards will be made to the educational institution the recipient will be attending.
Number of Scholarships Available: 1 or more
Scholarship Award Amount: up to $2,500
The St. Paul’s Seminary Scholarship is designated for seminary study by an individual currently enrolled as a seminary student in a seminary graduate degree program preparing for a full-time career in ministry, missions or Christian education.
This scholarship was originally established in 1993 by the Rev. Wayne and Phyllis Wasta in memory of his parents, Erwin and Louise Wasta, who were long-time members of St. Paul’s Church. In subsequent years additional amounts have been added to the original gift which has provided an endowment sufficient to sustain this scholarship.
The application and all supportive documentation must be postmarked or received no later than April 15 each year.
The applicant must be 1) a member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; 2) a member of another United Methodist church in the Pictured Rocks District of the Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church; 3) a member of any other church in the Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church; or 4) a United Methodist member pursuing candidacy through the Iowa Conference.
The seminary being attended must be accredited by the Association of Theological Schools and be recognized by the University Senate of the United Methodist Church as an affiliated or approved graduate theological seminary.
The scholarship will be awarded by the Foundation Scholarship Committee, made up entirely of St. Paul's United Methodist Church members. All applicants, recipients and those not receiving a scholarship award, will be notified no later than the last Friday in May each year. Payment of all scholarship awards will be made to the educational institution the recipient will be attending.
Questions?
For questions about scholarships, contact Rev. Jerry Oakland, Executive Director of St. Paul’s UMC Foundation, by emailing Foundation.Director@StPaulsUMC.org or by calling 712-730-0049.
