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ARRL Foundation

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ARRL Foundation
TypeIndependent 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit
Established1973, by the ARRL
Based atARRL headquarters, Newington, Connecticut
GovernanceNine-member volunteer board, elected by the ARRL Board of Directors
Programs
ScholarshipsMore than 170, from $500 to $25,000
General grantsThree application periods a year: February, June and October
Club grantsClub Grant Program, funded by Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC); last awarded in 2024
FundingDonations, memorial gifts, bequests and named funds
Fiscal yearEnds June 30

The ARRL Foundation is a charitable organization created by the ARRL in 1973 to award scholarships and grants that support amateur radio in the United States. It is legally separate from the league, organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so gifts to it are tax-deductible as US law allows.[1] The foundation manages more than 170 scholarships for licensed students, considers grant proposals from clubs and other groups three times a year, and has administered larger programs paid for by partners such as Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC). The ARRL also runs a separate Youth Licensing Grant through its VEC, which covers the license costs of young newcomers; it is not a foundation program.

Organization and funding

A board of nine volunteer directors governs the foundation. They are nominated and elected by the ARRL Board of Directors, and five of them also sit on the ARRL Board; the foundation's own board elects its officers.[1] Its fiscal year ends on June 30, and its audited financial reports and federal tax returns are posted on the ARRL website.[2]

The foundation describes itself as funded entirely by contributions from radio amateurs and their friends.[1] Gifts can go to its general fund or to a particular program, and many are given in memory of a Silent Key or in honor of an Elmer. Bequests and gifts of stock are also accepted.[3] A donor can create a new named scholarship worth at least $1,000 a year, either by contributing each year or by giving an endowment of $25,000 or more, whose earnings pay for the award.[3] Larger programs are funded by partners; ARDC, for example, paid for the Club Grant Program.

Scholarships

The scholarship program is the foundation's best-known work. Its more than 170 scholarships were established by donors and range from $500 to $25,000.[4] Every applicant must be an active, FCC-licensed amateur, and each scholarship has its own terms; some also require a letter of recommendation from an officer of an ARRL-affiliated club.[4] For the 2026 awards, applications were accepted until December 30, 2025.[5] Recipients are notified in June, and the money is sent to their schools in July.[4] In 2025 the foundation made 170 awards totaling about $800,000. The ARRL calls the four-year William R. Goldfarb Memorial Scholarship its most prestigious award.[6] It meets education costs not covered by the family's expected contribution or other scholarships, it is not given every year, and the ARRL's winners list shows no recipient after 2015.[6] Amateurs licensed in other countries are directed to the scholarships offered by ARDC.[4]

Grants

The foundation's general grants are for organizations, not individuals, and the projects must take place in the United States. Proposals are accepted from February 1 to 28, June 1 to 30 and October 1 to 31.[7] A grant committee reviews them at the end of each period, the full board votes, and applicants hear about a month later. Projects should educate people about amateur radio, help them get licensed or support the hobby, and youth projects are especially encouraged. Awards generally do not exceed $3,000, though for the ARRL's Year of the Club they could be as much as $5,000 in 2026.[7] Emergency communications equipment and ongoing operating costs are not funded, and the foundation prefers projects that have raised other money as well.[7]

Some grants come from named funds. The Victor C. Clark Youth Incentive Fund makes mini-grants of up to $1,000 to youth-focused groups such as high school radio clubs, for antennas, training materials and community projects.[8] Other funds include the CW Operators Educational Fund and the Alfred E. Friend, Jr., W4CF, Educational Activities Fund.[7]

The Club Grant Program, funded by ARDC, has made larger awards of $1,000 to $25,000 to clubs working to educate, recruit and train hams.[9] In its first round, in August 2022, 24 clubs shared $270,000.[10] In the 2024 round, the most recent, 110 clubs asked for nearly $1.6 million, and 37 received a total of $500,502.[11] Funded projects have included youth programs, equipment for college clubs, and repeater and tower repairs.

Since April 19, 2022, the day the FCC began charging a $35 application fee for new licenses, the ARRL has helped candidates younger than 18. They pay a reduced exam fee of $5 at sessions run by the ARRL VEC (see Volunteer Examiner Coordinator), with proof of age, whatever exam they take.[12] The VE team, the candidate or the fee payer sends in a reimbursement form, usually with the session paperwork, and once the FCC has issued the license the ARRL mails a $35 check to whoever paid the FCC fee.[12] The ARRL Board approved the program in July 2021, initially for up to 1,000 applicants.[12] It has no fixed end date and may be renewed or ended by the ARRL Board or its Administration and Finance Committee. See Youth in amateur radio.

Scholarship applications must arrive complete, with transcripts and other documents included, or they are not considered. If a scholarship needs a letter from a club officer, ask the club weeks before the deadline.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The ARRL Foundation, ARRL.
  2. ↑ ARRL Foundation Annual Reports, ARRL.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Ways to support the ARRL Foundation, ARRL.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Scholarship Program, ARRL Foundation.
  5. ↑ 2026 ARRL Foundation Scholarship Program is Now Accepting Applications, ARRL, October 2025.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Annual Scholarship Winners, ARRL Foundation.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Amateur Radio Grants, ARRL Foundation.
  8. ↑ ARRL Foundation Special Funds, ARRL.
  9. ↑ Club Grant Program, ARRL Foundation.
  10. ↑ ARRL Foundation Grants $270,000 to Amateur Radio Clubs, ARRL, August 2022.
  11. ↑ ARRL Club Grant Program Awards a Half Million Dollars to Grow Ham Radio, ARRL, January 2025.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Youth Licensing Grant Program, ARRL.
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