George Nickolaus CD Graduate Student Award

The late George Nickolaus was a charter member of CDS and served as legal counsel to CDS until his passing. His family created the George Nickolaus CD Graduate Student Award Fund to honor his memory and to support graduate students enrolled in M.A., M.S., or Ph.D. programs emphasizing community development, at accredited universities in the United States. The award recipient must be in good academic standing and may receive the scholarship once per degree. For example, a student may apply for the grant as an MS/MA student and again as a Ph.D. student/candidate.

Application Criteria

Criteria: Awards from the George Nickolaus Fund will at a minimum need to meet the following criteria:  

1. Applicant must be enrolled, in good standing, with a graduate or doctoral candidate status in a community development curriculum at an accredited graduate degree granting college or university; 
2. Applicant is expected to be or become a member of CDS in order to receive the award; 
3. Applicant must submit a letter of application describing the applicant’s course of study, academic standing, year of study, and the eligible uses of the award; 
4. Applicant must present a letter of endorsement from an appropriate faculty member, who will verify the applicant’s status; 
5. An award recipient may only receive one award per degree. For example, a student may apply for the award as a graduate student and again as a PhD candidate. 

Applicants will be judged on the degree to which the applicant and their work reflect the spirit and legacy of George Nickolaus by:

• Focusing on the civic life of communities, i.e., local leadership, local government, and social and economic development;
• Paying attention to diversity and inclusiveness in community development efforts;
• Enhancing the knowledge base and continuing professional development for those involved in community development.

Eligible Activities: The primary intent of the award is to support tuition expenses. However, if a student has an assistantship, tuition may be covered, the award may be used toward research support and/or living expenses.

Past Recipients: