Concluding a successful year of great donor generosity and support, the National Court Reporters Foundation (NCRF) has announced its commitment to allocate more resources to supporting court reporting and captioning students and new professionals. In 2023 NCRF provided financial assistance in the amount of more than $30,000 to students, new professionals, and disaster relief awardees.
In 2024 the Foundation plans to boost the number of its scholarships and grants and increase the amount of most of these awards. In addition, new funds have been allocated by the Foundation to support court reporting and captioning students who would like to attend the 2024 NCRA Conference & Expo in Louisville, Ky.
If you are a student or new professional, you may apply for a number of NCRF scholarships and grants. Most of the scholarships or grants require that the applicants meet certain criteria, such as membership in NCRA, completion of a certain verified speed, submission of a short essay, or participation in an NCRA A to Z® Intro to Steno Machine Shorthand program. Applicants may need to provide official transcripts or recommendations from their court reporting and/or captioning programs or their employers.
The chart below offers a snapshot of the 2024 scholarships and grants. (Not all requirements are listed in the chart; more information is available NCRA.org/Scholarships.)
The donations available for 2024 will allow NCRF to continue to support court reporting and captioning students and new professionals far into the future.
Announcements of upcoming application periods are made in the JCR and JCR Weekly, so please look there for additional details. Also, please check NCRA.org/Foundation. For those who want to support the Foundation, please view the fundraiser web page.
In addition to scholarships, NCRF Angels and other donors support the future of the court reporting and captioning professions with programs and projects, such as:
• The new NCRF Ask Me Anything ZoomUps, free to members, with expert panelists discussing select, germane industry career paths or issues.
• Student recruitment through the NCRA A to Z® Intro to Steno Machine Shorthand program.
• Funding for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for the NCRA A to Z program.
• Student education and new professional education, such as the NCRF Career Launcher program, the NCRF-sponsored Mental Health webinars, and other programs, offered through the Corrinne Clark Professionalism Institute.
• Creating opportunities for member PDC credit and the chance to give back to the community through opportunities to conduct and transcribe oral histories for veterans, attorneys who have completed pro bono work, etc. The most notable partnership is with the Library of Congress Veterans History Project.
2024 SCHOLARSHIPS AND GRANTS
| PROFESSIONAL GRANTS | Major Criteria | Opens | Closes | Amount |
| Carl Sauceda Grant (two) | NCRA members who have supported, promoted, and improved the court reporting and captioning professions as ambassadors to the profession | Jan. 15, 2024 | March 29, 2024 | $2,000 each |
| Court to CART Grant (one mentee) | Grant winner will receive an assessment of his or her realtime skills and instruction about current CART technology. Hands-on training will be provided. | Feb. 1, 2024 | March 29, 2024 | $1,500 |
| New Professional Reporter Grant (Two first place; Two second place; Total: Four awardees) | New professionals in their first year after graduation | April 1, 2024 | June 7, 2024 | $4,000 each to first-place winners; $2,000 each to second-place winners |
| Monyeen Black Memorial Grant (two) | New professional who has earned an RSR or RPR within two years of graduation | May 1, 2024 | June 17, 2024 | $2,000 each |
| Michelle Grimes Memorial Grant (two) | New professional who has earned an RSR or RPR within two years of graduation | May 1, 2024 | June 17, 2024 | $2,000 each |
| STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS | Major Criteria | Opens | Closes | Amount |
| Gina Battaglia Memorial Student Intern Scholarship (two) | NCRA student members who have been interning in a court reporting or captioning role within the past 12 months. 190 wpm plus short essay required. | Jan. 1, 2024 | March 1, 2024 | $2,000 each |
| Student Intern Scholarships (four) | NCRA student members who have been interning in a court reporting or captioning role within the past 12 months. 190 wpm plus short essay required. | Sept. 2, 2024 | Dec. 1, 2024 | $2,000 each |
| NCRF Career Launcher Student Scholarships (five – seven per quarter) | Students currently enrolled in a court reporting program who have passed one skills test at 180 wpm or higher | Ongoing | March 15; June 14; Sept. 12; Dec. 13, 2024 | Up to seven students will receive a free Career Launcher registration (worth $100/$175) each quarter |
| NCRF A to Z® Scholarships (15) | Students who have completed an NCRA A to Z® Intro to Steno Machine Shorthand program and passed one skills test between 60 and 100 wpm | Aug. 1, 2024 | Sept. 30, 2024 | Up to 15 students will receive a $750 scholarship each |
| NCRA CASE Student Scholarships (five) | NCRA student members currently attending an NCRA-approved court reporting program and who have passed one skills test between 140 and 180 wpm | Aug. 1, 2024 | Sept. 30, 2024 | The top prize of $1,500 is the Sue Shelton White Scholarship; four additional scholarships are available in the amounts of $1,000, $750, $500, and $250 |
Visit NCRA.org/scholarships for full application criteria. For more information about NCRF scholarships and grants, visit NCRA.org/scholarships or contact Jill Parker Landsman at ncrfoundation@ncra.org.
