Career Development Scholarship
Supporting the educational dreams of emerging leaders in the food industry
Career Development Scholarship
Through the Career Development Scholarship program, the FPSA Foundation aims to make FPSA members’ educational dreams a reality and ultimately assist the next generation in launching their careers.
Awarded to Students
Students Supported
2026 Program Details & Deadlines
In 2026, the FPSA Foundation will award five (5) $10,000 scholarships to support students pursuing careers in the food and beverage industry. These non-renewable scholarships can help cover tuition, fees, books, supplies, and required equipment at accredited US colleges and universities.
Eligibility: High school seniors, undergraduates, and graduate students connected to FPSA member companies are eligible. Applicants must be employees (full-time or part-time with 1,000+ hours annually), spouses, or children of employees from companies in good standing. Students must demonstrate intent to pursue food and beverage industry careers such as food science, food safety, engineering, supply chain management, quality assurance, operations, sales, or marketing. Prior year recipients are not eligible to reapply.
Selection Process: An independent committee of industry professionals evaluates complete applications based on academic achievement, essay quality demonstrating career goals and industry interest, extracurricular activities, and commitment to the food and beverage sector.
Application Timeline:
- Applications open: February 2, 2026
- Application deadline: March 31, 2026.
- Notification of Selection Results: June 1, 2026
- Acceptance deadline: June 15, 2026
- Funds disbursed: July 15, 2026.
For questions, contact us at scholarships@fpsa.org or 703-761-2600.
Frequently Asked Questions
View more information on the Career Development Scholarship.
Program Overview
-
Who is eligible to apply?
To be eligible for this scholarship:
- You intend to pursue a career in the food and beverage industry. Careers may include food science, food safety, engineering, supply chain management, quality assurance, operations, sales, marketing or other roles supporting the food and beverage sector.
- You must be a high school senior, undergraduate, or graduate student who meets the following criteria:
- You must be a full-time employee, spouse of a full-time employee, or a child of a full-time employee of companies which are members in good standing of the Food Production Solutions Association (FPSA). The employee must have been employed by a member company for at least one year as of January 1 of the year in which the scholarships are awarded and must be employed by a member firm when the scholarships are awarded.
OR
- You must be a part-time employee, spouse of a part-time employee, or a child of a part-time employee of companies which are members in good standing of the Food Production Solutions Association (FPSA) who worked a minimum of 1,000 hours per year in his/her last two years of service. The employee must still be employed by a member company when the scholarships are awarded and must be employed by a member company when the scholarships are awarded.
- You must NOT have received a scholarship from FPSA in the year prior.
- You must submit a completed application by the deadline. Applications without supporting materials will be ineligible.
Note: If the employee is an eligible employee at the time you are notified that you have been selected to receive an award you will retain the award for the full academic term.
-
What are the program deadlines?
What is the Program Timeline?
- Application Open: February 2, 2026
- Application Deadline: March 31, 2026
- Notification of Selection Results: June 1, 2026
- Acceptance Deadline: June 15, 2026
- Funds Disbursed: July 15, 2026
-
Is this award renewable?
No, the scholarship is only good for the year in which it was awarded. Funds may not be deferred to another year. Additionally, winners may not win consecutive years.
-
Who administers this program?
The Food Production Solutions Association (FPSA) and the FPSA Foundation.
Award Details
-
What is the selection criteria?
An independent selection committee made up of industry professionals will evaluate complete applications and select recipients considering:
- Academic achievements and records demonstrated by GPA, course rigor and academic honors
- Essay content including clarity of career goals, demonstration of interest in food and beverage industry and quality of writing
- Extracurricular & Community activities related to career goals, leadership and community service
- Demonstrated interest in and commitment to pursuing a career in the food and beverage industry
Decisions of the selection committee are final and are not subject to appeal. No application feedback will be given.
-
What are the award details?
- Up to five (5) FPSA Scholarships in the amount of $10,000 each will be awarded annually. Award payment is not renewable and may not be deferred.
- Students may reapply every other year as long as they continue to meet the eligibility criteria.
- The scholarships may be applied to tuition, fees, books, supplies and equipment required for course load at any US accredited college or university.
- Students may transfer from one institution to another and retain the award prior to award disbursement.
- Scholarships may not be applied to room and board and cannot be used to purchase a laptop if not required for all students attending the institution or course.
- Funds will be issued via check mid-July. You will need to accept the award, submit a Scholarship Payment Information Form and return it to FPSA. Once received, your scholarship funds will be mailed directly to your institution via check.
- Your scholarship check cannot be made payable to you, the applicant.
-
What are my responsibilities if I am chosen as a recipient?
You must enroll as a full-time undergraduate or graduate student in the fall of the year in which the scholarships are awarded. You must continue the entire academic year without interruption unless approved by FPSA. You are responsible for notifying FPSA of the appropriate office at your institution to receive the scholarship check. You should notify FPSA should your institution not receive the check within 30 days of the issue date. You will receive an email notification when your funds are issued.
-
How are the funds issued?
Along with your acceptance letter, you will receive a Payment Information Form which you will need complete and return promptly to FPSA so payment is not delayed. Checks will be made payable to the scholarship payment office as submitted on the Payment Information Form. Your scholarship check cannot be made payable to you, the applicant. You will receive an email notification once your funds have been mailed to your institution.
-
How do I change my college choice?
Make sure your Application indicates your final college choice. It is your responsibility to make sure your Application is correct at least 30 days prior to the check issue date listed above. If your scholarship check needs to be reissued for any reason, a reissue fee may apply. You may update your application until the application deadline. If you need to make changes to your college choice after the application deadline, email us at scholarships@fpsa.org and make sure to confirm that we have received your update.
Application Details
-
Which school should I list on the application if I have not made a final decision?
You should list your first-choice school on the application. You can change your college choice any time prior to the application deadline. If selected as a recipient, you will be asked to confirm your final school choice. If your school changes after the acceptance deadline, you will be able to update this information on your Application by emailing us at scholorships@fpsa.org.
-
My parent/guardian/spouse’s employment makes me eligible for this scholarship. Whose contact information should I include?
You, the applicant, must submit the application with a personal email address. Do not use a parent/guardian/spouse’s work email address. Your Application should reflect your legal name and contact information. Where prompted on the application, list the name and company of the parent/guardian/spouse’s information is a current FPSA member.
-
What is the difference between Official and Unofficial Transcripts?
Official transcripts must be obtained through your high school administration office, or your college registrar's office. Transcripts are normally printed on official letterhead and/or state that they are official. Transcripts may contain or require a signature.
Note: Your official transcript may come to you in a sealed envelope, stating it will become unofficial if opened. When scanning or copying your official transcripts, a watermark may appear noting that they are now unofficial. Despite any watermarks or sealed envelopes, you may open the envelope if needed to upload the document. These documents will be considered official for our purposes. Acceptable file types are .pdf, .zip,.png, .jpeg, .jpg, .tif, .bmp and, .xps. When scanning or copying, you do not need to include a copy of the sealed envelope.
Unofficial transcripts may be accessed through your school’s online student portal. These pages must still be converted to one of the acceptable file formats. Unofficial transcripts must contain your name.
-
What supporting documentation is required for this application?
- High School Transcript: College Freshman and Sophomores only.
- College/University Transcript: College Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors, and Graduate Students only.
-
Where and when should I send my supporting documents?
All required supporting documents must be uploaded to your online application by the application deadline. If you do not follow the upload instructions exactly, your application may remain incomplete. Documents that meet the criteria required for this application that are uploaded by the deadline will be processed and considered on time. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Notifications
-
How will I be notified about the status of my application?
Notifications are sent primarily via email to the email you used to create your account. Ultimately, it is your responsibility as the applicant to verify your application has been completed and submitted.
-
What notifications will be sent to me?
- Deadline Reminders: Deadline reminder emails typically begin 30-45 days prior to the application deadline.
- Selection Results: Selection results notifications are sent to all COMPLETE
- Funds Disbursed: Once your funds have been issued, you will be notified.
Your information is never sold to any third party for marketing purposes.
-
What email address will notifications be sent from?
You will receive most notifications from: scholarships@fpsa.org. You should add this email address to your “safe senders list” to ensure important emails are not sent to your spam or junk folder.
-
When will I receive notifications?Notification of Selection Results will be sent via email on June 1, 2026.
-
Can I opt out of notifications?
While you can opt out of notifications, this is not advised. It is your responsibility as the applicant to ensure your application is complete and has been submitted. If you opt out of notifications, you will not receive deadline reminders and selection results. Your information is never sold to any third party. The only emails you will receive are from FPSA and related to your application and, possibly, other scholarship opportunities.
Document Upload
-
What should be visible on my documents?
All uploaded documents must show your name. If you are using an online portal to access your required documentation and all that is visible is the salutation and your first name (Example: Welcome Joe!), this will meet the name requirement.
-
What are the acceptable file types?
Acceptable file types are .pdf, .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .csv, .txt, .zip, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .tif, .bmp, .xps, and .gif. Any other formats will not be reviewed, and your application will remain incomplete. You may upload multiple files within a .zip file. All files within a .zip file must be in one of the acceptable file types listed above.
-
One of the documents I uploaded has been rejected. What do I do now?
Review the reason your document was rejected. Once you have corrected that issue, upload a new copy of your document.
-
How do I upload more than one file at a time?
You may create a .zip file containing more than one file as long as everything included is in an acceptable file type of .pdf, .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .csv, .txt, .zip, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .tif, .bmp, .xps, and .gif. Do not upload additional documentation that is not requested. It will not be reviewed.
-
How do I create a .zip file?
To use this format, follow the steps outlined below:
- Create a new folder on your Desktop, name it the document type you will be uploading. For example, Test Scores, Transcript, or Supporting Documentation.
- Move all the files you wish to upload into the new folder.
- Right-click on the folder from your Desktop:
- PC Users: select “Send to,” followed by “Compressed (zipped) folder.”
- Mac Users: select “Compress [folder name].”
- Your new .zip file will be located on your Desktop, ready to upload.
-
How long does it take to process my uploaded documents?
All documents must be reviewed for the required information and for accuracy. All documents uploaded prior to the application deadline will be reviewed and considered. However, it is your responsibility to monitor your Application to ensure your document is completed by the deadline.
-
What are the DOs and DON’Ts of uploading documents to my application?
DO:
- Upload one of the accepted file types.
- Only upload the requested and required documents.
- Black out any Social Security Numbers. This is not required, but highly advised.
DON’T:
- Upload any file formats we don’t accept.
- Upload more than the requested documentation.
- Assume your documents are correct and accepted once you have uploaded them.
- Upload a document stating you are mailing your documents. (DO NOT MAIL DOCUMENTS).
- Assume the required document does not pertain to you. If the application states the document is required, your application will remain incomplete if you do not provide that document. Contact us if you are having trouble providing a required document.
- Password protect your uploaded documents. Password-protected documents will be rejected.
- Upload any file that has a viewing expiration date.
Other Important Information
-
Are scholarships taxable?
Tax laws vary by country. In the United States, scholarship funds used exclusively for the payment of tuition and textbooks are normally not taxable. The scholarship recipient is responsible for taxes, if any, that may be assessed against his or her scholarship award. We recommend consulting your tax adviser for more guidance. You may also consult IRS Publication 970 for additional information.
-
Contact Information
General questions about the scholarship program can be directed to The Food Production Solutions Association (FPSA). Contact us at scholarships@fpsa.org or 703-761-2600.
Past Career Development Winners
Meet past winners of the Career Development Scholarship
Keaton Coad
Multivac
Claudia Jarosz
Handtmann Inc.
Martyna Mateja
West Liberty Foods
Diego Minaya
The Whiting Turner Contracting Company
Jacqueline Park
The Dennis Group
Genevieve Tomlinson
The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company
DeLana Vogelsmeier
Poly-clip System/PreciPak
Nehemiah White
Anritsu Inspection & Detection
Mary Woytowicz
The Dennis Group
Nia Yost
Provisur Technologies Inc.
