The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) Foundation is awarding $334,500 in academic scholarships and career development grants to 153 individuals to help them achieve their educational and career goals in the occupational safety and health profession. “For over 30 years as ASSP’s charitable arm, the Foundation has helped thousands of students and professionals continue their education in workplace safety and health,” said ASSP Foundation Chair Trish Ennis, CSP, ARM, CRIS. “The consistent support from donors shows that safety and health careers are vital in helping to protect workers everywhere.”
The 2023 awards include $305,500 in academic scholarships for 107 graduate and undergraduate students preparing for or supplementing their occupational safety and health careers at 52 colleges and universities. The ASSP Foundation is awarding $29,000 in career development grants to 46 safety students and professionals who are working to advance their careers through certification, conference attendance and similar learning opportunities. Career development grants will continue to be awarded throughout the year. “Presenting career development grants year-round is fairly new for us, and we’re excited about that enhancement because it increases access to funding and training for individuals throughout the safety field,” Ennis said.
Several corporate donors support the awards, including Amazon, Canadian National Railway Corporation, FabEnCo, Lancaster County Industrial Safety Council, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Texas Safety Foundation and UPS. Additionally, more than 100 ASSP chapters, common interest groups, practice specialties and members support the scholarship and grant programs every year.
The ASSP Foundation – the charitable arm of ASSP chartered in 1990 – promotes occupational safety and health as a career choice. It works to build a sustainable talent pipeline to make all industries safer worldwide with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. Programs and services are solely supported by charitable donations from the ASSP community and corporations motivated to support the profession. The ASSP Foundation has invested more than $5 million into the occupational safety and health community to develop opportunities for career guidance, education and leadership development. The charitable effort is designed to attract new individuals to the profession as well as enhance the knowledge and skills of current safety students and professionals.