Piper Fellows: Application Process
Letter
Piper Fellow candidates must prepare a letter of no more than three pages in which they answer the following questions:
- Why do you work in your field?
- What significant lessons has your work taught you?
- What do you see yourself doing in five years?
- Enhancing your organization’s leadership, client service and operational effectiveness–how would you use the award resources and release time to develop this ability? (Please list specific activities, courses of study and lengths of time.)
- How will your experience as a Piper Fellow benefit your organization?
Support Materials
In addition to the application letter, Piper Fellow candidates must submit the following documents on standard 8.5″ x 11″ paper:
- A one-page description of the candidate’s organization, its mission and services.
- A résumé that covers, at minimum, the past 10 years of the candidate’s career.
- A proposed budget for sabbatical expenditures.
- A list of three Maricopa County-area references with complete contact information.
- A brief letter of endorsement, signed by the board chair or other appropriate person within the candidate’s organization, that includes: 1) a plan for organizational management both during and after the candidate’s absence; 2) a guarantee of maintenance of the candidate’s regular salary and benefits during the award period; and 3) an agreement that the candidate will neither visit nor attend to duties issuing from his or her place of working during the leave period.
Deadline
Candidates’ mailed applications must be postmarked by September 15. Candidates are asked not to email or fax applications. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. Submit materials to:
Piper Fellows Program
Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust
1202 East Missouri Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona 85014
September 15
Postmark deadline for receipt of completed applications at the Trust’s office.
September 15, 5 PM
Deadline for receipt of couriered applications at the Trust’s office.
October
Finalist interviews at the Trust’s office.
November
Notification/Announcement of awards.
Selection
An independent committee of distinguished Valley citizens makes the Fellow selections each year. Their recommendations go directly to the Piper Trust Board of Trustees. The members of this committee understand that the nonprofit field’s importance owes to the quality of its contributions to Maricopa County.
Candidates are asked to direct any questions they may have about the selection process to Judy Jolley Mohraz via telephone at 480.948.5853 or email at jmohraz@pipertrust.org.