The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) is pleased to announce four new scholarships named after distinguished members of its Board of Directors. These $20,000 scholarships, awarded over four years at $5,000 each year, are named after:
- Judith Legerski, Former Chairman of the Board and CEO
- Major General Harry Sieben, Former Board Member and Vice President
- Jon Bengtson, former board member and treasurer
- Dr. Carolyn Hines, Former Board Member and Founder of the CMP Scholarship Program
“CMP has long focused on youth programs and giving back to the community. These new scholarships allow us to support America’s best youth while recognizing the people who championed youth programs while guiding CMP’s success,” said Jerry O’Keefe, new board chair and CEO of CMP. Official.
In addition to the new $20,000 scholarships, other changes include:
- A new online application process
- Scholarships for trade and technical schools.
- No minimum grade point average (GPA) to apply
Each year, high school student-athletes participating in marksmanship programs are encouraged to apply for the CMP Scholarships, a program that provides financial support to young shooters and women who have demonstrated excellence on and off the line of fire.
Traditionally, these scholarships have been used to pursue post-secondary or vocational programs, community colleges, or university education. However, in 2023, the CMP will further expand its scholarship program by engaging trade and technical schools to keep up with national trends and provide opportunities for athletes with a variety of interests.
“Our scholarships are available to all graduating high school seniors with outstanding marksmanship, academics, and community service records. By removing a minimum GPA, we are including late developers who may have gotten off to a slow start in one area, but have shown great potential late in their high school career,” said Dan Durben, former Team National Rifle and US Rifle Olympic Team Coach and Chairman of the CMP Scholarship Committee.
Since 2005, the CMP Scholarship Program has awarded $1,000 one-year scholarships to high school seniors based on merit, humanitarian efforts, extracurricular activities, and participation in marksmanship. In 2020, the CMP added a $5,000 scholarship, the Carolyn Hines Memorial Scholarship, awarded to the top applicant who best represented the values of Dr. Hines, who was instrumental in shaping the program.
This year, CMP will continue to award $1,000, $3,000 and $5,000 scholarships to more than 90 rising high school students. Applicants will compete based on their rifle, pistol, and/or shotgun competition record, academic excellence, community service, leadership, and potential.
As noted, the CMP no longer requires a minimum GPA, although academic performance remains a key component of the selection criteria. Additionally, the new automated application replaces paper forms and mailing documents with an online application and the ability to upload documents.
CMP will award a total of $200,000 for the 2023-2024 school year. In addition, the Garand Collectors Association has generously donated $30,000 in association with the CMP in recognition of our nation’s best young shooters.
The deadline to apply for a CMP Scholarship will be March 31, 2023. A link to the online application portal and other scholarship information can be found by visiting https://thecmp.org/youth/cmp-scholarship-program/.
The Civilian Marksmanship Program is a federally chartered 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. It is dedicated to firearms safety and marksmanship training and the promotion of marksmanship competition for United States citizens. To learn more about the CMP and its programs, log on to www.TheCMP.org.