Amelia Earhart Fellowship
According to Women in Aerospace, in 2010, roughly 10 percent of the aerospace
industry was made up of women. While the number has slowly increased, there must be
reinforcements behind each step forward. To assist the future of women in this field and
other aerospace-related sciences and engineering, Zonta International established the
Amelia Earhart Fellowship in 1938 in honor of legendary pilot and Zontian, Amelia
Earhart. Today, the Fellowship of US$10,000 is awarded annually to up to 30 talented
women, pursuing Ph.D./doctoral degrees in aerospace-related sciences or aerospacerelated engineering around the globe.
Women of any nationality pursuing a Ph.D./doctoral degree, who demonstrate a
superior academic record in the field of aerospace-related sciences or aerospacerelated engineering, are eligible and encouraged to apply. For a full list of the eligibility
and application requirements, please refer to the application.
Since the program’s inception, Zonta International has awarded 1,543 Amelia Earhart
Fellowships, totaling more than US$9.7 million, to 1,114 women from 72 countries.
These fellowships are made possible through generous donations to the Zonta
International Foundation.
For more information and a link to the 2018 AE Fellowship application, click here
Young Women in Public Affairs Award
Though about 40 percent of the world’s workforce is women, according to data from the
Inter-Parliamentary Union, only 23.5 percent of all national parliamentarians were female
as of 1 July 2017. Because Zonta International believes that young women are the key
to women’s advancement in the field of public service, it offers the Young Women in
Public Affairs (YWPA) Award, which recognizes young women, ages 16-19, for
demonstrating leadership skills and commitment to public service and civic causes, and
encourages them to continue their participation in public and political life.
Established in 1990 by Past International President Leneen Forde, Zonta has given 846
awards (includes international awards), totaling US$836,750, to 724 young women
representing 56 countries.
The program operates at the Zonta club, district/region and international levels. Zonta
clubs provide awards for club recipients, and district/region and international awards are
funded by the Zonta International Foundation. District recipients receive US$1,500, and
10 international recipients are selected from the district/region recipients to receive
awards of US$4,000 each.
The application must start with a Zonta club. All application materials must be received
at a Zonta club by the printed deadline. Zonta clubs select one application to send to
the district governor/region representative. A district/region evaluating committee
reviews the applications and selects one applicant per district/region to submit to Zonta
International Headquarters.
The Zonta International YWPA Award Committee recommends 10 international
recipients from the district/region applications to the Zonta International Board. After
approval by the Zonta International Board, the Zonta International Foundation provides
awards and certificates to the district/region, and international recipients.
For more information and a link to the 2018 YWPA Award, click here.
Women in STEM scholarship
In 2019 and 2021, Zonta International was pleased to support the Zonta International Women in Technology Scholarships to encourage women to pursue education, career opportunities and leadership roles in information technology. In June 2022, the Zonta International membership voted to continue the program with an expanded focus on all STEM fields, not only technology. With this change, the Zonta International Board approved a name change and will offer the Zonta International Women in STEM Scholarship for the third cycle of the scholarship program.
The program operates at the Zonta club, district/region and international levels. Each Zonta district/region may submit one applicant for consideration for an international scholarship. A single candidate from each of Zonta’s 31 districts and one region will receive an award of US$5,000 from Zonta International.
Applications received by Zonta clubs: Contact local club for deadline
Club recipient is selected and application is received by governor/region representative: July/August or deadline determined by district/region
District/region applicant selected and application received by ZI Headquarters: 15 September
Official announcement of international recipients: November
The application process must start with a Zonta club. All application materials must be received at a Zonta club by the deadline printed on the application. If you downloaded the application from the Zonta International website, you must contact a Zonta club for deadline information. If the Zonta club contact information is not printed on the application, please locate the Zonta club nearest you by using the Club Locator, or email your name and contact information to Zonta International Headquarters at programs@zonta.org.
Applicants from geographic areas within a Zonta district/region where no clubs are located will be considered and are eligible to apply for the international scholarships via a Zonta district/region.
Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarship
Women have made great strides in the pursuit of education, careers and leadership roles they were once denied. However, they still comprise a minority of leaders in the business world. As of December 2022, 32% of S&P 500 companies’ board seats are occupied by women, and just 7.4% of the companies’ CEOs are women.
Because Zonta International believes in gender equality, the Jane M. Klausman (JMK) Women in Business Scholarship program helps women pursue undergraduate and master’s degrees in business management and overcome gender barriers from the classroom to the boardroom. The Zonta Foundation for Women awarded the first Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarships in 1998 to women pursuing degrees in business leading to a business management career. Jane M. Klausman was a member of the Zonta Club of Syracuse, New York, USA, and the 1990-1995 Zonta International Parliamentarian. During her career, Ms. Klausman was a professional secretary, parliamentarian and entrepreneur.
The program operates at the Zonta club, district/region and international levels. Zonta International offers 37 international scholarships of US$5,000. Each district/region may submit one applicant for consideration for an international scholarship. The five largest districts may submit a second applicant for a total of two applicants.
Since the program’s inception, Zonta has awarded 713 scholarships, totaling more than US$1.8 million, to 559 women representing 70 countries.
Applications received by Zonta clubs: Contact local club for deadline (generally April-June)
Club recipient is selected and application is received by governor/region representative: 15 August or deadline determined by district/region
District/region applicant selected and application received by ZI Headquarters: 15 October
Official announcement of international recipients: December
The application process must start with a Zonta club. All application materials must be received at a Zonta club by the deadline printed on the application. If you downloaded the application from the Zonta International website, contact a Zonta club for deadline information. If the Zonta club contact information is not printed on the application, please locate the Zonta club nearest you by using the Club Locator, or email your name and contact information to Zonta International Headquarters at programs@zonta.org.
Applicants from geographic areas within a Zonta district/region where no clubs are located will be considered and are eligible to apply for the international scholarships via a Zonta district/region.
For more info, visit:
https://zonta.org/Web/Our_Programs/Education/Women_in_Business_Scholarship/Web/Programs/Education/Women_in_Business_Scholarship.aspx?hkey=5fb4f07a-f30d-42ad-bb53-7cb802f1eb7c