The IBMA Foundation offers seven different college scholarships. Students interested in applying for the 2025-2026 school year are invited to fill out and submit their applications at the following links:
Click HERE to apply for the Rick Lang Music Songwriter Scholarship.
Click HERE to apply for the Mike Auldridge Memorial Scholarship, the Gloria Belle Memorial Scholarship, the J. D. Crowe Banjo Scholarship, the Katy Daley Broadcast Media/Sound Engineering Scholarship, the Sally Ann Forrester Scholarship, and/or the IBMA Bluegrass College Scholarship.
Scholarships offered:
The Mike Auldridge Memorial Scholarship ($1,000) is awarded to an individual studying the resophonic guitar, steel guitar, or acoustic guitar on the college level, with a bluegrass or roots music focus. Mike Auldridge (1938-2012) was a legendary Dobro stylist whose music continues to influence the generations of resophonic guitarists who have followed him. Mike was a founding member of the award-winning Seldom Scene. He is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame twice—in 2014 as a member of the Scene and again in 2019 as a solo artist. Auldridge also performed with Emerson and Waldron, Cliff Waldron and the New Shades of Grass, The Country Gentlemen, Chesapeake, The Good Deale Bluegrass Band, John Starling and Carolina Star, and Darren Beachley and the Legends of the Potomac. He also toured with Emmylou Harris and the Lyle Lovett Band. Auldridge received the IBMA Distinguished Achievement Award for lifetime contributions to bluegrass music in 2007 and the 2012 National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Initial funds for this scholarship were donated by Howard Parker.
The Gloria Belle Memorial Scholarship ($1,000) is awarded to assist with the expense of college or technical training for an individual studying behind-the-scenes subjects like sound engineering, broadcasting, instrument building, event production, photography, videography, publicity, marketing or graphic design. The scholarship honors Gloria Bernadette Flickinger, best known for her work with Jimmy Martin and The Sunny Mountain Boys in 1968-73 and 1975-78. She has also been credited as the first lead-singing female bandleader, fronting her Green Mountain Travelers as early as 1957. Gloria Belle performed in the cast of Cas Walker’s Farm and Home Hour radio show in Knoxville from age 16-21. She showcased her talents on vocals, banjo, mandolin, bass, and guitar on three solo albums released in 1967, 1978, and 1986, as well as on Jimmy Martin’s recordings. She formed the band, Tennessee Sunshine, with her husband, Mike Long, in 1989, and they released more albums in 1992-2001. Gloria Belle received the Distinguished Achievement Award from IBMA in 1999, plus Recorded Event of the Year awards in 2001 and 2009 for her participation in the Daughters of Bluegrass, produced by Dixie Hall. Funds for the scholarship were raised primarily by award-winning bandleader and songwriter Becky Buller, with a generous donation from Jim and Kathy Kortge (among others).
The J. D. Crowe Banjo Scholarship ($2,000) is awarded to an individual planning to study banjo at the college level or in a college-level bluegrass ensemble. Applicants must demonstrate a high level of performance skills on the five-string banjo and plan to become involved in the bluegrass music industry as a professional. Bluegrass Hall of Fame member J. D. Crowe, originally from Lexington, Kentucky, was one of the most influential and popular banjo players in the history of bluegrass music. Longtime friend and fellow Kentucky bluegrass musician Arthur Hancock III made the initial $20,000 donation to create and endow the scholarship for the benefit of banjo players for generations to come. Arthur Hancock IV, a touring bluegrass musician and member of the IBMA Foundation board, was instrumental in setting up the scholarship with his father.
The Katy Daley Broadcast Media/Sound Engineering Scholarship ($2,000) will be awarded to an individual planning to study broadcasting or sound engineering at college or in a continuing education program with a bluegrass music focus. There is no age limit for applicants. Eligible areas of study include radio, television, digital media, recorded sound engineering and mastering, live sound engineering, and related disciplines. Applicants must plan to become involved in the bluegrass music industry at a professional level and be current IBMA members. Initial and continued funds for the endowed scholarship were donated by Daley and her husband, Bill Brown. Former co-host of the Bluegrass Stories podcast series along with Howard Parker, Katy Daley had a 30+ year career in bluegrass (WAMU-FM and Bluegrass Country) and country (WMZQ) radio in the Washington, D.C. area.
The Sally Ann Forrester Scholarship ($2,000) will be awarded to a female bluegrass musician. Applicants are not required to have a declared major in bluegrass music, although women enrolled in a bluegrass university degree program are welcome to apply. Initial funds for this scholarship were donated by Murphy Hicks Henry, co-founder with her husband, Red Henry, of the Murphy Method instructional media company and author of Pretty Good for a Girl: Women in Bluegrass (University of Illinois Press). Sally Ann Forrester, sometimes called the first woman in bluegrass, played accordion and sang with Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys from 1943 until 1946. One of the primary supporters of this scholarship is Robert Forrester, son of Howdy and Sally Ann Forrester, of Nashville.
The IBMA Bluegrass College Scholarship ($1,000) is awarded each year to a student majoring in bluegrass or a bluegrass-related field of study at the undergraduate level. Bluegrass music–related studies include but are not limited to bluegrass performance, music education, folklore, sound engineering and recording, lutherie (building and repairing instruments), business, marketing, public relations, songwriting/publishing, or other academic study of bluegrass and related roots musics. The successful candidate should have aspirations of professional involvement in the bluegrass music industry. IBMA (the International Bluegrass Music Association) is the nonprofit music association that connects, educates, and empowers bluegrass professionals and enthusiasts, honoring tradition and encouraging innovation in the bluegrass community worldwide.
The Rick Lang Music Songwriter Scholarship ($2,000) will be awarded in the spring semester to a student planning to study songwriting at the college level. Applicants are not required to have a declared major in songwriting, but they must already have demonstrated skills as a songwriter and plan to further their study of the art. Initial funds for the endowed scholarship were donated by Rick Lang, a Grammy-nominated writer who also serves as the chair of the IBMA Songwriter Committee and volunteers with the IBMA Songwriter Mentor Program. Applicants for the Rick Lang Music scholarship must be current IBMA members to be considered. (See www.ibma.org.) The recipient of this scholarship is invited to co-write a song with Rick Lang
For more information on IBMA Foundation-hosted scholarships, contact Nancy Cardwell at info@bluegrassfoundation.org or call (615) 260-4807.
RETURN to the April 2025 issue of The Cornerstone.
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