Florida Tropical Weavers Guild, in its incorporation papers is chartered to provide certain benefits. One of these is to promote education and the sharing of fiber arts knowledge among its members. The board has established a tuition scholarship program for FTWG members.
Available Scholarships
General FTWG Scholarships
The following scholarships are available:
- Three (3) $100 scholarships
- Two (2) $400 scholarships
- One (1) $700 scholarships
The $400 scholarships may only be applied toward your workshop fees for FTWG’s 2026 Conference.
The $100 and $700 scholarships may NOT be used for FTWG’s Conference and must be used within 18 months after they are awarded.
Sharon Danielsen Creative Expression Scholarship
Sharon Danielsen was the proprietor of the Center for Creative Expression in Largo, FL in the late 1990s through the early 2000s. Her shop opened with basketry supplies and she added knitting and weaving supplies along the way. The walls were lined with a rainbow of colors of her hand-dyed reeds in an effort to inspire the Creative Expression she named her shop after.
Mostly she is remembered for providing a place for a creative community and folks gathered there to learn and share. By the time of her death in 2020, she still had quite a “stash” of weaving inventory. As part of her legacy, FTWG agreed that the sale of her yarns & equipment would go to fund a scholarship in her memory to be announced at the Florida Tropical Weavers Guild Conference to help another fiber artist explore this beautiful art.
FTWG’s General Scholarship Rules apply, with the following exceptions:
- The Sharon Danielsen Creative Expression may be applied to any of the fiber-arts education that would be covered by the other scholarships, including both the FTWG Conference AND workshops offered by other organizations.
- The Application process is different.
- The Sharon Danielsen Creative Expression will only be awarded to those attending the FTWG Conference.
- Individuals who qualify for this scholarship will receive a purple “opt-in” form in their Conference packet. If you do qualify, are interested, and can use the scholarship, complete the form and drop it in the entry box at the registration desk.
- During the annual Conference, a drawing will be held to determine the scholarship recipient.
Scholarship Rules
Recipients must have been a member of FTWG for at least the last 18 consecutive months at the time they submit a scholarship application.
Recipients are expected to maintain their FTWG membership at least until they receive the scholarship funds.
The scholarship is to be used for tuition, lab/materials fees, room, board, and travel for fiber-related study. Scholarship will not exceed $700.
If awarded a scholarship, you have eighteen months from the date of the award in which to use the scholarship.
If you receive a scholarship, the board requests that you wait three years before applying again. Members may receive scholarships three (3) times during a lifetime.
Scholarship recipient will be reimbursed up to, but not exceeding the amount of the scholarship for tuition, lab/materials fees, room, board, and travel upon submitting the receipts to the Scholarship Chair and arranging to complete the required skill and information sharing activities described below.
In return for the scholarship, you are required to complete the following activities displaying the skills you acquired:
- For all scholarship recipients: within three months after completion of the class, submit an article for the FTWG website about the class attended.
- For $400 (including both FTWG General and Sharon Danielsen Creative Expressions) and $700 scholarship recipients:
- At the next FTWG Conference, display the skills acquired (including samples and information) by:
- teaching a mini class,
- giving a presentation to the assembly during an evening program,
- and/or creating a table-sized physical display.
OR
- Give a presentation via Zoom, which may be recorded and added to the FTWG website for members to access.
The Technology Chair will code each application prior to sending it to the Scholarship Chair, allowing anonymity during the selection process. The Technology Chair is not a part of the Scholarship Selection Committee.
The Board Reserves the right to deny any/all applicants in a given year.
Recipient(s) names will be announced at the FTWG Annual Membership Meeting at the Conference.
***Remember to apply for the FTWG scholarship, you must be a member for at least 18 months.***