The Rosemary R. Nixon EncorePBC Scholarship
and Application Criteria

The Rosemary R. Nixon Scholarship was established in 2022 In honor of Rosemary who founded EncorePBC in 2017. The purpose of the scholarship is to assist older adults (aged 50 or better) who are full-time residents of Palm Beach County with funding to assist them with an educational and/or vocational award to allow them to reach their full potential in either employment or an entrepreneurial or volunteer endeavor.

Rosemary’s extensive background includes 10 years as Executive Director of two non-profit organizations in Connecticut,10 years as a banker lending to businesses, as well as teaching courses on planning and financing new businesses, and 10 years as a financial advisor for American Express Financial Advisors, helping people plan financially for retirement.

Her educational background includes a BA from Northeastern University in Political Science, a National Science Foundation Fellowship for graduate work in Political Science and Public Administration with an MA from Northeastern University, and an MBA in Finance and Organizational Behavior from the University of Hartford, Hartford, Conn.

Rosemary has been successful in creating five careers for herself, including retiring twice to create new ventures. Her passion for helping others create their best life led her to creating Encore Palm Beach County.

 The Mission of EncorePBC:

We advocate that people over 50 have skills, wisdom and experience our communities need to solve social problems and benefit the intergenerational workplace. We fulfill our mission by connecting them to the resources that will help them find work and volunteer opportunities; by opposing age discrimination and by communicating over multiple platforms to bring subject matter experts, interviews and topics of interest to our community. Our vision is to become the one place people over 50 in Palm Beach County can go to find what they need for their continued engagement with life and purpose.

 Scholarship Application and Award cycle:

The Scholarship accepts applications at any time with scholarship awards made on a semi-annual basis starting September 30th 2022, funding permitting. Recipients will be notified by October 15th (for September awards) and by April 15th for March 30th awards.

Applications must be received by September 1st and March 1st to be considered during that award cycle. Those applicants not selected during a cycle will be notified in a timely manner.

Specifics:

  • The scholarship awards will initially be in the amount of $300 per recipient. The number of awards made will be based on both available funding and the number of qualified applications received during the award cycle.
  • Applicants will complete a brief form indicating what they will use the scholarship for. All individuals awarded a scholarship must provide a receipt showing payment to the organization offering the educational or vocational opportunity within 30 days of the payment date (and made after the scholarship award is received; awards cannot be used for funds previously expended by the individual).
  • Scholarship awards are one time only and are not a commitment to continuing support
  • Previous applicants not selected are welcome to apply for a future award cycle
  • Furthermore, the recipient must agree that their name can be publicized by EncorePBC as a scholarship recipient on the website, newsletter or similar media.

Examples of the types of programs the scholarship can be used for:

+ Take a course at a local educational institution or through a not-for-profit organization (examples can include but are not limited to Excel, QuickBooks, Grant writing, How to Write a Novel, Linked in Coaching session, Next Act! Retirement Planning for Your Next Stage of Life etc.).

+ Become certified as a Home Health Aide or other professional certification in Palm Beach County.

+ To offset the cost of participating in Leadership PBC or similar program.

+ Attend a session on how to start a business or pay for an occupational license.

+ Assist in the cost of purchasing specialty equipment required to occupation (i.e., scissors for hairdresser/barber).

Purchases of Laptops, cell phones or similar are not eligible.

How to apply for a scholarship award:

Applicants are to submit their full legal name, address, phone number, email address, confirmation of full-time residency in PB County and the reason for their scholarship request through the scholarship request page on the EncorePBC website.

Applicants will receive confirmation of their submittal. Decisions on the scholarship awards are made by the scholarship committee of the Board of EncorePBC.

The awards are non-taxable income to the recipient.

Making a donation to the scholarship fund:

Donations can be made to the scholarship on the EncorePBC website through PayPal by designating it in the comments section of the PayPal link or by mailing a check to EncorePBC c/o Treasurer Bill Morse 7469 Viale Michelangelo Delray Beach FL 33446 indicating that the donation is earmarked for “Scholarship”.