Annual Scholarships

• Each individual scholarship is $5,000 per calendar year.

• Scholarships awarded to eligible SEIU 509 Public Sector state workers must be for the expenses of study at an accredited educational institution in a trade, undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral degree program.

• Scholarships to dependents of eligible members must be for the expenses of study at an accredited educational institution in a trade or undergraduate degree program.

• The awards will be paid only to the educational institution. Unused scholarship awards will be returned to the SEIU Local 509 - Commonwealth Human Service Workers and Educators Training and Professional Development Fund at the conclusion of the academic year named in the award letter.

• Scholarship awards can be applied only to tuition costs for the academic year named in the award letter. Scholarship awards cannot be deferred to a future year.

• Scholarship awards can be transferred between institutions of learning a maximum of two times within the academic year named in the award letter. For example, the scholarship award can be applied to tuition costs for a Winter or Summer intersession courses at another institution or transferred to a different school named in the award letter.

• No member or dependent may be awarded more than one SEIU Local 509 - Commonwealth Human Service Workers and Educators Training and Professional Development Fund scholarship per lifetime.

• Winners will be selected at random from the pool of qualified applicants. The drawing for 2026 scholarship awards will take place May 11, 2026.

Eligibility

• Eligible applicants must be a member of the collective bargaining units covered by the collective bargaining agreement between SEIU Local 509 and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or a dependent of such members.

• Dependents are defined as children of the member or children under direct care of the member, such as a grandchild or foster child.

• Members must be accepted for enrollment in a trade, undergraduate, graduate, or PhD program to begin in the Fall 2026 term or currently enrolled in a trade, undergraduate, graduate, or PhD program.

• Dependents must be high school seniors accepted for enrollment in undergraduate studies at an accredited educational institution to begin in the Fall 2026 term or currently enrolled in a trade or undergraduate program at an accredited educational institution.

• No awards will be paid without proof of enrollment.

• Proof of guardianship for dependents will be required if picked for a scholarship.

• Members or their dependents must not have previously received a scholarship from this Fund.

• Applicants must not be a full-time officer of SEIU Local 509 or a dependent of such an officer.

• Trustees of the Fund and their dependents are ineligible for scholarships from this Fund.

• Each member or dependent must fill out the SEIU Local 509 - Commonwealth Human Service Workers and Educators Training and Professional Development Fund Scholarship application by 12 a.m. on April 5, 2026.