Scholarships

The NJACD Conservation Stewardship Scholarship honors the legacy of dedicated conservationists through a monetary contribution for their dedicated service to the conservation of our natural resources. This scholarship is granted to encourage and support qualified students to pursue a career in a field related to the conservation and management of natural resources.

Contributions to the Scholarship Fund have been invested to produce a continuing source of income to support scholarships to qualifying students in the field of conservation. Scholarships are funded from the interest earned on the New Jersey Association of Conservation Districts Conservation Stewardship Scholarship Fund.

Scholarship Eligibility Criteria

Must be a New Jersey resident.

Must be a full time student in good standing at an accredited college (not necessarily in NJ).

Must have successfully completed, or will complete by the scholarship award date, at least four full semesters of study.

Must be an undergraduate enrolled in a major curriculum of agriculture or natural resource conservation, including agronomy, soil science, plant science, forestry, geography, journalism, agricultural education, environmental science, wildlife or fisheries management, environmental engineering, and other areas related to conservation.

Evaluation Criteria

Academic commitment to a field of conservation

Demonstrated scholastic ability

Involvement in extra curricular activities or volunteer projects related to conservation

Financial need

How To Apply

Applications are accepted between January 1st and May 31st.

Scholarships will be awarded in July.

Step One

Download the application below.

Step Two

Print the application.

Step Three

Fill out the application.

Step Four

Mail your application to:

Bergen County Soil Conservation District
ATTN: Ines Zimmerman
700 Kinderkamack Rd, Suite 103
Oradel, NJ 07649

2026 Scholarship Recipient

Jacob Gelfand

Read Jacob's Bio

Past Scholarship Winners

Hover over the testimonials below to read how our scholarships make a difference!

"Through my experience as the Land Ecology Intern at the Watershed Institute in Pennington, New Jersey, I began my work in the field dedicated to saving American beech trees. These trees are currently threatened by the rapid spread of Beech Leaf Disease, a new and extremely deadly disease. With the cost of two siblings in school at the same time, scholarships and work study are very important."

Cora Attias-Inzano2025 Scholarship Recipient

"This summer, I plan to assist the landscape and design team of the Monmouth County Park Systems in plot studies and tree inventorying. This program is important in mapping land development within the parks and instructs which plots of land can be planted with new foliage species or invasive trees may need reducing to limit insect abundance. I am extremely thankful for this scholarship as it will help further my education in part from my financial situation."

KariAnne Leck2023 Scholarship Recipient

" I am researching climate change risks to freshwater wetlands and riparian zones in agricultural areas. I am grateful for this scholarship as it will substantially help my financial situation during my last year of college."

Cristina Czochanski2022 Scholarship Recipient