Donald Nathan Carr Memorial Scholarship for Public Affairs Excellence


1. PROGRAM SUMMARY. The Army Public Affairs Association (APAA) will award five (5) scholarships at $500 each to members of the Army Public Affairs and Visual Information community to assist with or cover career-enhancing professional development education or training.

2. DISCUSSION.

a. Eligibility:

(1) Recipients must join the Army Public Affairs Association for at least one year ($35).

(2) Recipients must be a current Army public affairs or visual information practitioner (Soldier in any Component, Army Civilian).

b. Program requirements:

(1) Scholarship funds must be used for a college/academic program or for another professional development opportunity in the communications field, e.g. communication policy development; communication strategy development; communication planning and public affairs programming; strategic and public/community outreach; media operations; crisis communication planning and response; digital communications; social media; visual information; photography; videography; editing; assessments/metrics; marketing; advertising; others.

(2) Upon completion of the professional development/training awarded, recipients must provide a one-page emailed after-action narrative discussing the experience, and an assessment/recommendation of its value for future applicants.

c. Application process:

(1) Applications must be in memorandum/letter form, signed by the applicant, and include the name, contact info, organization, status (Soldier, Civilian), and details/syllabus of the desired course or program.

(2) Applications will also include a 200-word-minimum essay explaining how the desired education or training will help the applicant’s current job or career goals, and support the Army Public Affairs/Visual Information Program.

(3) Proof of enrollment/acceptance in the outlined program at the time of application is not necessary, but funds will not be dispersed until the recipient has been accepted/enrolled and an invoice for tuition/fees is provided to the APAA.

(4) Application packets (and later, invoices) will be submitted by email to admin@armypublicaffairsassociation.org. Please make the subject: (Last Name) - Donald Nathan Carr Memorial Scholarship Application.

d. Selection process: Applications will be reviewed and voted on by the full APAA Board of Directors. A two thirds (2/3) majority to approve will be required; that is, 6 votes out of 11 in favor. Whenever there are vacant board positions, that calculus will remain at 2/3 of sitting board members.

e. Funding:

(1) Funds for this program will be placed in a separate account solely for this purpose. This account will be reviewed and ratified monthly, and as an annual line item for accountability for the association.

(2) Funds for the scholarship will be furnished by corporate sponsorship - DCG Communications is the program’s founding sponsor - and by direct appeal for personal donations by APAA members, members of the serving and retired Army Public Affairs community, and by APAA fundraising efforts throughout the year.

(3) Anyone wishing to make an individual or corporate donation to this program may do so here from the main page on the Donations tab. APAA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

3. CONCLUSION. The association is grateful to DCG Communications for its generous founding sponsorship. This scholarship will offer recipients a way to augment or outright pay for career-enhancing professional development and training that will benefit them and the Army Public Affairs/Visual Information program. The APAA can think of no better way to honor Don Carr than to do what he did for a lifetime: seize every opportunity to help those around him to be exceptional and effective – to be all that they can be. Mr. Carr improved every person he met, and the APAA hopes this scholarship in his name will add to his legacy of passion for the United States Army and the people who tell its story.