PLA 2027 Scholarships

Through the Education and Scholarship Fund, the Public Lands Alliance provides its nonprofit members with financial support to access professional development opportunities. 

Eligibility: Staff and board members of Public Lands Alliance nonprofit member organizations, particularly new staff and board members who have never before attended the PLA Convention and Trade Show. If your organization has received funds for two consecutive years, there is a one-year waiting period before an application from your organization will be considered again for funding. Scholarship funds can be used to help cover registration fees, travel, and lodging expenses for PLA trainings. 

Selection Process: Scholarship funds are intended to assist PLA nonprofit member organizations that have recently joined PLA, have experienced a hardship situation related to their business operations, or whose leadership has changed. Preference will be given to first-time scholarship applicants and to those receiving aid from other sources in addition to PLA. PLA will review only those applications received by the advertised deadline. Recipients are obliged to book the most economical fare available and use the designated host hotel for their stay.

Reporting: Scholarship recipients are required to provide a detailed accounting of their approved expenses, along with a report outlining their outcomes, within 30 days of completing the training. Receipts are required for reimbursement.

Scholarships for PLA 2027 will open on October 15 and close on November 29, 2026 at 11:59pm (ET).

Please revisit this page between October 15 and November 29 to apply.

Important Information:
  • Applicants should apply for their own scholarships.
  • Applicants will be asked to log in to their PLA account to access the application. To determine if the applicant has a PLA account, view your organization's roster by searching your organization's name in the Member Directory (you must be logged in to view the directory).
    • If you need to add the applicant to your organization, please email Ashley Waite at Ashley@publiclandsalliance.org.
  • The application cannot be saved and must be completed in one session. The approximate completion time is 10-20 minutes. You can view a PDF version of the application here. 

Applicants will be notified of their status the week of December 7, 2026.