Description of Dring Language Fellowship
The Dring Language Fellowship will provide up to $2,500 to assist one or more recipients for language training and an international travel experience for the purpose of improving and/or perfecting foreign language skills.
In order to emphasize language improvement, an individual intense or immersion experience is foreseen. There is no specific minimum length of program, but very short trips having little impact on language improvement will not qualify. The plan may be part of an organized program, but not a group trip. (Group trip participants tend to speak with one another in English.)
The factors that will be considered in evaluating programs are:
- Does the trip emphasize language?
- How long is the trip? Longer trips provide greater exposure to the language.
- Does the program create a good learning environment? Language immersion is valuable – such as attending classes in the local language and living with a local family (preferably non-English speaking). Ideally, the applicant is forced to use the language full time.
Eligibility for a Dring Language Fellowship is limited to current students or graduates of all high schools and colleges in Routt County. Residents of Routt County who did not attend local schools but who have a strong connection to Yampa Valley will also be eligible.
Upon completion of the Fellowship, recipients will be expected to submit a written report, and to demonstrate an improvement in their foreign language ability.
Award will be made by a committee chosen from the community. Names of committee members will not be released.
Application Deadline:
Fellowship applications are ordinarily accepted once per year from early February to early April (exact dates to vary from year to year). Fellowship recipients will be announced in late May annually.
Fellowship awards cannot be made to individuals directly. The funding can only be granted to qualified charitable or educational organizations as defined by the IRS. If in doubt whether your program meets this definition, please verify with the institution whether the meet the criteria as defined in 501(c)(3) or 170(b)(1)(A)(ii) respectively. You may also contact the Yampa Valley Community Foundation (scholarships@yvcf.org) for clarification before completing an application.
Winners will be contacted directly. All applicants will be notified of results.
Questions? Contact scholarships@yvcf.org.
Related Grant Programs:
We suggest that applicants also go to our Scholarships page to see what other grants are available.
Applicants should be aware of other programs that offer international travel opportunities that can pair well with the Dring Language Fellowship:
Examples: