Annual Pat Buennemeyer Scholarship

The Pat Buennemeyer Scholarship provides financial assistance to research administrators who wish to participate in a Body of Knowledge (BOK) Review Session in pursuit of becoming certified. 

RACC will award a total of ten scholarships. The scholarship provides a waiver of the cost of the BOK Review Session registration fee for the CRA©, CPRA©, or CFRA exam. Only one scholarship will be awarded per applicant. 

Each scholarship recipient will have up to one year from the date of the award to select and attend the BOK Review Session of their choice. 

Eligibility

At the time of application, the applicant must either meet the minimum eligibility requirements to take the exam OR anticipate meeting those requirements within the scholarship's award year. 

Application Materials 

Please submit the application via our online form in the order shown below:

  1. Personal Statement 

    Address the four questions below. The entire statement has a 2-page maximum (12-point font, single-spaced, 1-inch margins). 

    • What are your career goals and how will this certification help you reach them? 
    • What volunteer or nonprofit leadership positions have you held, and what key contributions did you make in those roles? 
    • Why is the financial support of this scholarship needed? 
    • How do you plan to contribute to the research administration field if awarded this scholarship? 
  2. Resume 

    Provide a current resume detailing your professional experience, which must     demonstrate either that you meet the experience requirement or are on track to meet it within 12 months (see eligibility criteria). The resume has a 2-page maximum.     

Review Process

The deadline for applications is Wednesday, November 25, 2026, at 11:59pm Mountain Standard Time.  

The RACC Nominations Committee will review application packages based on overall quality of the application materials. The Nominations Committee will notify scholarship recipients by Friday, December 18, 2026.