Find Scholarships - Koniag Education Foundation

KEF Eligibility Requirements

KEF offers merit-based scholarships to Koniag, Incorporated shareholders and registered descendants. These scholarships are competitive and are scored by an independent scholarship review committee. GPA requirements vary by award and must be met to be considered eligible for award. Applications must be submitted by the posted deadline. Awarded funds are disbursed directly to the university/program, and cannot be applied to accounts in arrears. Award amounts may vary depending on availability of funds.

Basic Requirements:

Current minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of a 2.5 or equivalent for KEF General.
Full-time undergraduate students must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits/4 classes per term; graduate students must be deemed as a full-time student according to individual university requirement.
Part-time undergraduate students must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 credits/2 classes per term; graduate students must be deemed as a part-time student according to individual university requirements.
Must have attained high school diploma or GED by May 31 of application year.
Must meet all other KEF eligibility requirements and be in good standing with KEF’s other scholarship programs.

Scholarships administered on behalf of our partners have additional eligibility requirements which are detailed in the description of each award.

All applicants must be Koniag, Incorporated shareholders or registered descendants. Descendants must have an approved shareholder descendant database application submitted and approved by Koniag, Incorporated’s Shareholder Records Manager prior to any disbursement of award. Please see form for details. For more information regarding the Descendant Database Form and enrollment shareholder ID’s, please e-mail shareholderrecords(at)koniag.com or call (800) 658-3818.

The Shareholder Descendant Database Application can be found here.

Because KEF is a private nonprofit, IRS regulations require that all scholarship, vocational, and career development funds must be sent directly to the institute where training is taking place.

How to apply

Applications are completed and submitted online for review. In just a few easy steps, applications can be completed and submitted for review. If you don’t have time to complete the application in one sitting, you can simply save it and go back to it when you are ready. Have questions? Call or email us at (907) 562-9093 or scholarships@koniageducation.org.

To apply, click here and press the green “Register” button. If you have made a previous student account but can’t log in, please call or email us to reactivate your account.

Applicant portal information is now part of the application process as a common form. This allows KEF to keep your personal contact information, school, and financial aid information all up to date. If you need to make any changes, please do so when beginning a new application, or by emailing our Scholarship Manager at scholarships@koniageducation.org. Updating your account on a regular basis helps ensure that you receive KEF correspondence and that your scholarship disbursements are processed correctly and arrive at your school on time.

Scholarship Information & Deadlines

(Click on each scholarship for more information)

Partner Scholarships

Koniag Angayuk (partner) Scholarship/Internship
Open November 15, Closes January 15 annually
Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. – No application needed. Awarded to top scoring students in degree area.
Native Village of Afognak (NVA) Ag’wanermiut Liitut – For students enrolled with NVA.
Open March 15, Closes June 1 annually
Native Village of Port Lions (NVPL) Rhea Mae Knagin Scholarship – For students enrolled with NVOPL attending a school in the state of Alaska.
Open March 15, Closes June 1 annually

KEF Scholarships

KEF General Scholarship – For degree seeking undergraduate and graduate students
Open December 15, Due March 15 annually
KEF Step-Up Scholarship – NEW!
For students who do not currently meet the 2.5 cumulative GPA requirement.
Open December 15, Due March 15

Special Scholarships

The following scholarships will be awarded to the students who have the highest combined KEF General Application and GPA scores. The students who qualify will be identified by KEF and notified individually. No additional application is necessary. Click on each scholarship for more information.

Brent Parsons Memorial Scholarship – Finance and/or Accounting
Glenn Godfrey Leadership Scholarship – Civic Duty/Community Service
Larry Matfay Cultural Scholarship – Alutiiq Culture; Anthropology
Magnel Larsen Drabek Memorial Scholarship – Education, Arts, or Culture

Career & Vocational

No Deadline: (Funding replenishes April 1 each year)

Scholarships

Step-Up Scholarship

Award:
Deadline:

Step-Up Scholarship

Opens December 15, Closes March 15

This one-time scholarship is designed for students who do not currently have the required 2.5 cumulative high school or college GPA. The student will have up to one academic year to bring their GPA into compliance in order to continue receiving funds through the KEF General Scholarship.

Criteria:

Must be a Koniag Shareholder or registered descendant.
Must be accepted into an accredited college.
Must not have received a KEF General Scholarship in the last two years.
Must be enrolled in at least two classes (6 credits) per term.

Career Development Grant

Award: Up to $1,000
Deadline: No deadline

Career Development Scholarships are awarded to individuals enrolled in non-degree programs such as licensing and certification training’s, workshops or other career advancing programs which are less than 6 weeks in duration. Limit 2 per year per applicant up to $1,000 total.

*Because KEF is a private nonprofit, IRS regulations require that all scholarship and career development funds must be sent directly to the institute where training is taking place.

Vocational Scholarship

Award: Up to $2,500
Deadline: No deadline

The Vocational Award is for individuals interested in non-degree technical education and training, longer than 6 weeks in duration.

*Because KEF is a private nonprofit, IRS regulations require that all scholarship and career development funds must be sent directly to the institute where training is taking place.

KEF General Scholarship

Award: Varies
Deadline: Open December 15/Closes March 15 Annually

KEF General Scholarships are awarded to full and part time students with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher who are enrolled in a degree seeking program through an accredited educational institution. Part-time students must be taking a minimum of two classes per term. This scholarship is merit based and the amount of the scholarship is dependent upon application score, cumulative GPA, and class standing. Current application is for the upcoming fall, winter, and/or spring terms.

*KEF offers merit-based scholarships to our shareholders and descendants. These scholarships are competitive and are scored by an independent scholarship review committee. Awards may vary depending on availability of funds. Applications must be submitted by deadline.

**Because KEF is a private nonprofit, IRS regulations require that all scholarship and career development funds must be sent directly to the institute where training is taking place.

Angayuk Scholarship & Internship

Award: $5,000/yr
Deadline: Open November 15/Closes January 15 annually

The purpose of the Koniag Angayuk Scholarship is to identify and encourage Koniag students to become involved with Koniag and our subsidiaries. Koniag encourages our people to pursue their education and become familiar with Koniag, their Regional Native Corporation, and the employment opportunities that are available to them through Koniag’s family of companies. The program is designed to encourage and promote our future leaders.

Koniag, Inc. established an internship/scholarship program to seek out Koniag’s best and brightest shareholders and registered descendants to intern in subsidiaries of Koniag Development Corporation (KDC).

Scholarship recipients are awarded an annual scholarship of $5,000 throughout their post-secondary education. This award allows the student to focus on his/her field of study and gain related work experience for a six- to 10-week period during the summer, while helping Koniag identify, cultivate, and encourage future leaders.

To qualify, students must be a full-time, under graduate or graduate student, have and maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, agree to intern in any one of Koniag’s subsidiaries during the summer, and be willing to relocate for a period of six to 10 weeks during the summer months. Students will receive a salary during their internship and travel and lodging will be funded by Koniag, Inc. Students who participate in the internship and meet eligibility requirements will receive renewed funding of $5,000 each year until graduation.

You may apply for this scholarship in conjunction with other KEF scholarships.

*Because KEF is a private nonprofit, IRS regulations require that all scholarship funds must be sent directly to the college.

Alyeska Pipeline Service Co.

Award: Varies
Deadline: March 15

Alyeska provides scholarship funding to organizations with the goal to provide partial monetary support to Alaska Natives for training, education, and internships that are needed in preparation for careers with Alyeska and on the Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) or other oil industry related jobs. This funding is strategically focused to increase the pool of qualified Alaska Native applicants in specific job categories.

Application Process:
The Alyeska program is an in-house matching scholarship. Students who qualify will be identified by KEF and notified individually if they are eligible. No additional application is necessary.

Other Opportunities with Alyeska Pipeline Service Co.:

NVPL Rhea Mae Knagin

Award: $1,000 first award, $500 second and third award
Deadline: Opens March 1; Closes June 1 annually; For NVOPL Members Only

Rhea Mae Knagin, a founding member of the Native Village of Port Lions, was dedicated to serving her community. In honor and recognition of her service the Native Village of Port Lions Traditional Tribal Council established the Rhea Mae Knagin (RMK) Scholarship. The RMK Scholarship is designed to provide financial support to enrolled members of the Native Village of Port Lions (NVPL), who demonstrate scholastic achievement or interest in furthering their professional career. The RMK Scholarship is administered by Koniag Education Foundation (KEF) and all applications are reviewed by the KEF Scholarship Committee. Applications are scored based on criteria set forth by the Port Lions Traditional Tribal Council. Applications are available beginning March 1st of each year and have a deadline of June 1st.

AWARD DETAILS

The RMK Scholarship offers three (3) awards: one (1) award for $1,000.00 – to the applicant receiving the highest total score and two (2) awards for $500.00 each – to two applicants receiving the second and third highest total scores, based on scoring criteria. Checks will be made payable directly to the institution.

Who May Apply

Applicants must be an enrolled member of the Native Village of Port Lions
Applicants must be a high school graduate or GED equivalent
Have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.5
Plan to attend a university of vocational school in the State of Alaska
Previous recipients of the Rhea Mae Scholarship are welcome to reapply

Application Requirements

1. Completed application – Incomplete applications will automatically be disqualified
2. Short essay describing who you are and your educational goals
3. Proof of tribal enrollment in the Native Village of Port Lions
4. One (1) letter of reference
5. Most recent high school or college transcripts (unofficial transcripts are accepted)
6. Proof of acceptance or letter from school stating you have applied
7. Applicant portrait with signed consent form

*Because KEF is a private nonprofit, IRS regulations require that all scholarship and career development funds must be sent directly to the institute where training is taking place.

NVA Ag’wanermiut Liitut

Award: $1,000 - Two recipient per year
Deadline: Opens March 1; Closes June 1 annually; For NVA Members Only

Eligibility Requirements:

Must be an enrolled member of the Native Village of Afognak
Must have a minimum of a 2.5 GPA or equivalent
Must meet all KEF eligibility requirements

Application Requirements:

Provide proof of enrollment
One letter of recommendation
Most Recent Transcripts
Recent Resume
Recent Profile Photo
Essay

Special Essay Requirements:

The Native Village of Afognak Ag’wanermiut Liitut Award requires a two-part essay. (500 word minimum)

1) Include a description of your 1) personal and family history, 2) community and/or family involvement 3) volunteer activities/awards, and 4) educational and life goals.

2) Select and answer one of the following three questions:

What does Afognak mean to you?
What does education mean to you?
What does community mean to you?

*KEF offers merit-based scholarships to our shareholders and descendants. These scholarships are competitive and are scored for completeness by an independent scholarship review committee. Applications must be postmarked or time-stamped by deadline.

**Because KEF is a private nonprofit, IRS regulations require that all scholarship and career development funds must be sent directly to the institute where training is taking place.

Brent Parsons Memorial Scholarship

Award: $5,000
Deadline: March 15

The Brent Parsons Memorial Scholarship will be awarded annually to one student majoring in Finance or Accounting with the highest combined KEF General application and GPA score. The student who qualifies will be identified by KEF and notified individually if they are eligible. No additional application is necessary.

There are few forces in the world with the potential to positively impact a community so much as a single experienced, passionate and dedicated leader. A person like this gives selflessly of their time and their energy, and influences everything they touch. Brent Parsons was such a man. To honor Brent’s memory and lasting impact to our Alutiiq people, Koniag and KEF are pleased to announce the Brent Parsons Memorial Scholarship.

Brent was a long-time partner in an audit firm and was integral in keeping Koniag a financially strong corporation. He drew on his vast knowledge of financial and accounting best practices to strengthen benefits for shareholders. Always a mentor, Brent worked with many of Koniag’s board members and staff to help them realize their own potential. And as a life-long learner and recipient of a KEF scholarship, Brent understood and valued education.

There is a quote from the artist Makoto Fujimura that goes, “generative paths lead to resourcefulness, patience, and general creativity in life. They lead to cultural – and human – thriving.” Brent walked a generative path in everything he did, and through this scholarship for Koniag shareholders and descendants in the fields of Accounting and Finance, Brent’s legacy will thrive for our students as they pursue their own educational goals. We know that Brent will be looking down and smiling as future generations receive degrees and achieve their fullest potential.

*Because KEF is a private nonprofit, IRS regulations require that all scholarship and career development funds must be sent directly to the institute where training is taking place.

Glenn Godfrey Sr. Memorial Scholarship

Award: $5,000
Deadline: March 15

Awarded annually to one student majoring in community service and/or civic duty field with the highest combined application and GPA score. The student who qualifies will be identified by KEF and notified individually if they are eligible. No additional application is necessary.

The Glenn Godfrey Sr. Memorial Scholarship is named in honor of Mr. Glenn Godfrey Sr., an Aleut political and social leader raised on Kodiak Island. Glenn Godfrey led an exemplary career with the State Troopers, from walking a beat to finding innovative ways to improve law enforcement in rural communities, and finally serving as Commissioner of Public Safety for the State of Alaska. At his retirement, after 32 years with the Department of Public Safety, Governor Tony Knowles said, “He has distinguished himself by his selfless dedication to public service, his commitment to protecting Alaska’s children, and meeting the unprecedented public safety challenges that followed September 11th.”

Glenn was born and raised in Kodiak and joined the Alaska State Troopers in 1970. He served as a patrol trooper in Anchorage, Juneau, and Northway, where he was responsible for drug enforcement along the Canadian border. In 1978, he was promoted as post commander for Western Alaska in Bethel where he was instrumental in the development of the Village Public Safety Officer (VPSO) program. Godfrey was later assigned to the director’s office in Anchorage and was put in charge of the VPSO program, statewide search and rescues, and the Trooper’s Special Emergency Reaction Team. Godfrey went on to serve as chief of Rural Enforcement and deputy director of the Alaska State Troopers. Knowles promoted Godfrey to director of the Trooper Division in 1995 and he succeeded Ron Otte as Commissioner of the Department in August of 2000. Upon his retirement, he was appointed to Gov. Tony Knowles’s cabinet as the Commissioner of Public Safety. Mr. Godfrey was the first Alaska Native in both posts. Godfrey also served as chairman of Koniag Inc., the ANSCA regional corporation for Kodiak, and was named “Citizen of the Year” by the Alaska Federation of Natives in 1999.

*Because KEF is a private nonprofit, IRS regulations require that all scholarship and career development funds must be mailed directly to the institute where training is taking place.

Larry Matfay Cultural Heritage Scholarship

Award: $1,000
Deadline: March 15

This scholarship will be awarded annually to one student majoring in anthropology, history, Alaska Native/American Indian Studies, or other disciplines with a course of study of Alutiiq culture. The student who qualifies will be identified by KEF and notified individually if they are eligible. No additional application is necessary.

The Larry Matfay Cultural Heritage Scholarship is named in honor of Larry Matfay, an Alutiiq elder and the last chief of Akhiok. He freely shared his extensive knowledge of the Alutiiq culture to revitalize and renew our heritage and pride.

About Larry Matfay:
Larry Sava Matfay was born in 1907 in Akhiok, which was also the home of his parents, Pelagia Kejuk and Sava Matfay. Known as the last chief of Akhiok, he passed away in 1998. Mr. Matfay was a distinguished language and culture bearer, storyteller, trapper, reindeer herder, commercial fisherman, and community leader. He contributed to the revival of Alutiiq dance and to the exhibition project Looking Both Ways: Heritage and Identity of the Alutiiq People. [Last updated in 2006]

**Because KEF is a private nonprofit, IRS regulations require that all scholarship and career development funds must be sent directly to the institute where training is taking place.

Magnel Larsen Drabek Scholarship

Award: $2,000
Deadline: March 15

The Drabek Award of $2,000 will be awarded annually to one student majoring in education, arts, and/or cultural studies with the highest combined application and GPA score. The student who qualifies will be identified by KEF and notified individually if they are eligible. No additional application is necessary.

Magnel “Maggie” E. Drabek was born in Afognak village in 1926 to Olga (daughter of Evdokia (Nekrasoff) and Peter Paul Naumoff of Afognak) and Louie Larsen (a fisherman and merchant marine originally from Alesund, Norway). Maggie was known for her fortitude, practical leadership, diplomacy, humor and creativity.

In 1947 she married Henry “Hank” Alvin Drabek of Springville, N.Y., after they met in Seattle, Wash., while Hank was decommissioning the aircraft carrier Bonhomme Richard after World War II. Together they raised two sons, Anthony “Tony” John and Alvin Lawrence. Hank was overseas for many years serving in the Navy during the Korean War. Regardless of where they lived, Maggie was always involved in community activities and recognized for her talents. For example, during their years living on the Coronado Naval Base in Southern California, she won numerous artistic awards for hat designs, publicity posters and costumes.

They returned to live in Kodiak after Hank retired from the Navy. Maggie worked for many years in the Kodiak school system as a cook and later as a teacher’s aide before retiring for health reasons. Prior to her work in Kodiak schools, she served as forelady for several prominent fish processors. Maggie’s family remembers when the 1964 earthquake and tsunami struck, the only household item she grabbed before heading for high ground was her “Big Ben” alarm clock so she wouldn’t be late for work the next morning. Ironically, while she had her alarm clock, the cannery she worked at had been washed away in the night, along with her house and all the family’s belongings.

When Maggie was a young, single woman living in Washington, she gave birth to a son who she was unable to care for at the time. Maggie made the difficult decision to give him up for adoption. Her son, Roger McCracken, now lives in Bellevue, Wash., and was reunited with his two brothers in 1998 after Tony’s search for Roger proved fruitful.

Maggie passed away in 1990. The memory of her as a loving mother, wife, friend, sister, aunt and daughter, as well as her passion for education and Alutiiq culture, lives on.