Pinellas County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #43

 2023 Scholarship Qualifications, Guidelines, and Application

The Pinellas County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #43 will award two (2), $1000.00 scholarships annually.  The scholarships are presented to graduating high school and/or vocational school students who will attend an accredited institute of higher learning sometime during the 2023 academic year, (law enforcement academies included), or are enrolled in an accredited college or university, not exceeding their 4^th year. These institutions must be in the United States of America. Applicants are eligible if their sponsor is an active member of FOP Lodge 43, in good standing, and the recipient of the scholarship has been accepted to an accredited institute. The scholarship is also available to active-duty full-time police officers that have not yet reached the age of 25 and are attending an accredited institute of higher learning while working as a full-time officer. The officer must be a member of FOP Lodge 43 and have been so for a minimum of two (2) years.

           •          To apply for a scholarship, applicants must be a child of a member of the Pinellas County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #43.  The member must have been a member in good standing for at least two years prior to the scholarship application filing date or an active full time police officer with a police agency within Pinellas County and has been a member in good standing of FOP Lodge 43 for a minimum of two (2) years.  The applicant can be no older than 25 years of age.

           •          All scholarship applicants are tasked with authoring an essay on an assigned subject.  The essay must be at least 1000 words in length, but no more than 1500 words. All information submitted will be judged on content, grammar, spelling, and appearance. “Handwritten” essays will not be accepted. Any essays found to have been plagiarized, even if only in a small part of the essay, will be disqualified and the submitter will not be able to reapply for a scholarship from Lodge 43.

           •          The applicants’ signature on all submitted documents will serve as evidence that he or she authored the essay. 

           •          The scholarship documents (application and essay) must be delivered together to be eligible for the final scholarship award.

           •          The applicant must provide proof of enrollment or acceptance for the institution they are or planning to attend. Additionally, the applicant must show evidence of a high school GPA of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale if in high school, or evidence of active enrolment at an accredited institute of higher learning.

           •          Both scholarships are reserved for graduating high school seniors, those already enrolled in an accredited institute of higher learning, or active law enforcement officers who are attending an accredited institute of higher learning. 

           •          No scholarship recipient may earn more than two (2) Pinellas County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #43 scholarships.

           •          The deadline for all scholarships is April 30, 2023.

           •          The essays will be judged by a panel made up of members of the Board of Directors of FOP Lodge 43. The identities of those submitting the essay will be removed prior to the Board Members reviewing the essay.

           •          All submitted essays and applications will become the property of FOP Lodge 43.

           •          Any submissions that are not complete will not be considered in the completion for a scholarship. The application shall be on the FOP Lodge 43 webpage. The applicant will not place his/her name or any other identifiable information on the final essay, only on the application; the FOP lodge 43 President or his/her designee shall assign a corresponding number of the essay for grading purposes.

           •          The applicant shall submit the completed essay and accompanying application to:

FOP Lodge 43 Scholarship Committee

550 Commerce Drive

Largo Florida 33770

           •          All documentation must be postmarked no later than April 30^th, 2023 by 5:00 PM. Any packet received after the cutoff date and time will be dismissed.

           •          Winner will be notified by phone and mail. The decisions of the scholarship committee are final.

Essay Question:

 The essay topic for 2023 is “What inspired your family member to enter Law Enforcement and how has it affected you?”.  (1000 to 1500 words)

Application Deadline April 30^th, 2023

Fraternal Order of Police

Lodge 43 Scholarship Application

NAME IN FULL: ____________________________________________________

HOME ADDRESS ____________________________________________________

CITY___________________________ STATE_________________ ZIP_________

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER (Last four) ________DOB____________________

HOME PHONE _____________________     SCHOOL PHONE__________________

E-MAIL ADDRESS _____________________________________________________

PARENT/FOP SPONSOR ________________________________________________

HIGH SCHOOL ATTENDED IF APPLICABLE ___________________G.P.A.______

NAME OF COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY YOU HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED TO OR ARE ATTENDING AND MAJOR DECLARED IF APPLICABLE ___________________________________________________________________________________                                                                                                                                                             

                          •       ON A SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER LIST ANY SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS, IF ANY, YOU HAVE YOU RECEIVED FOR EXCELLENCE IN SCHOOL OR COMMUNITY SERVICE.

             •         ON A SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER LIST SCHOOL OR COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES THAT YOU HAVE OR ARE PARTICIPATING IN.

APPLICANTS SIGNATURE___________________________________DATE____________________________