A scholarship fund that helps finance higher education for family members of Oregon workers who have been fatally injured or permanently disabled on the job is open for applications, the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA) has announced.
The Workers’ Memorial Scholarship awards are available to any high school graduate, graduating high school senior, GED recipient, or current college undergraduate or graduate student who is a dependent or spouse of an Oregon worker who has been fatally injured or permanently disabled while on the job.
“The impacts to families of a work-related death or permanent disability are profound and include potentially significant financial hardships,” said Renée Stapleton, administrator for Oregon OSHA. “The annual Workers’ Memorial Scholarship is an opportunity for us to help surviving family members pursue their higher education goals.”
The Oregon Office of Student Access and Completion (OSAC) – part of the state’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission – handles applications for the Workers’ Memorial Scholarship. The office is accepting applications for the 2024-25 academic year. Applications are due April 1, 2024.
Students may attend any Federal Title IV financial aid eligible institution in the United States. That includes four-year universities, two-year community colleges, private and nonprofit institutions, and vocational and trade schools. If the institution does not have a six-digit federal identification number on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), then it is not a qualifying institution.
The following OSAC resources are available to help students learn more about eligibility requirements, accessing an application, and how to get help with their application:
- Find up-to-date information about the requirements for the Workers’ Memorial Scholarship in the OSAC Scholarship Catalog. Enter the fund number 113, or the full name Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division Workers’ Memorial, in the search box near the top.
- Go to the OSAC Scholarship Application.
- Send an email requesting help with your application.
- Request application help by calling 541-687-7400 and pressing 1.
- Go online to learn more about OSAC and student aid.
- Go online to learn what Oregon OSHA says about the Workers’ Memorial Scholarship.
Workers’ Memorial Scholarship award recommendations are made by Oregon OSHA’s Safe Employment Education and Training Advisory Committee, an advisory group with members from business, organized labor, and government.
Scholarship award amounts vary. Oregon OSHA presents the awards annually to help in the postsecondary education of spouses or children of permanently and totally disabled or fatally injured workers.
The 1991 Oregon Legislature established the Workers’ Memorial Scholarship at the request of the Oregon AFL-CIO, with support from Associated Oregon Industries.
