Foundation for Rural Service Awards $185,000 in Scholarships to Rural Students

The Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) announced today it has awarded $185,000 in scholarships to 60 students from rural communities served by members of NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association. The total represents the largest single-year scholarship investment in FRS history and marks an increase of over $24,000 from 2025.

Since the Foundation was established in 1994 as the philanthropic arm of NTCA, FRS has awarded more than $2 million in scholarships to more than 900 students. The FRS Scholarship Program awards one-time scholarships to students from across rural America for their first year of college, university or vocational-technical school. FRS also awards one scholarship to a student entering law school. Each student is sponsored by an NTCA member company that shares information about the available scholarships in their communities and contributes a portion of the scholarship award.

This year, the FRS Board of Directors voted to expand that mission in a meaningful new direction, launching a yearly scholarship for non-traditional students returning to school or pursuing an undergraduate degree years after their initial path took a different turn. The Board recognized that rural communities are full of driven individuals whose educational journeys don't follow a straight line, and that those students deserve the same investment and encouragement as any other. This new scholarship reflects FRS's long-standing belief that it is never too late to build a future, and that rural America is strongest when every member of the community has the chance to grow.

In addition to 38 $2,500 FRS General Scholarships, other notable awards included:

• Two $9,500 Common Ground Scholarships to students pursuing environmental sustainability, social justice, telecommunications or economic development.
• One $7,000 Everett Kneece Scholarship to the highest achieving applicant.
• Four $5,000 JSI Scholarships to students with an interest in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM).
• One $5,000 Herbert and Isabel Bitz Memorial Scholarship to an individual who exhibits a strong dedication to rural America.
• Four $5,000 Sarah Tyree Good Neighbor Scholarships to students who demonstrate what it means to be a "good neighbor" through humanitarianism, inclusion and kindness to others.
• One $2,500 Diana Jo Dreyer Memorial Scholarship sponsored by INDATEL Services to a woman who intends to major in and study business.
• Four $1,000 Roger Cox Scholarships to students who reside in the Atlantic Telephone Membership Company service territory in North Carolina, and/or individuals living in rural areas of North Carolina and South Carolina.
• Two $1,500 TMS Scholarships to customers of Ardmore Telephone and/or West Kentucky and Tennessee Telecommunications Cooperative.
• The $5,000 James L. Bass Legal Scholarship to an individual entering his or her first year of law school. This is the fifth year FRS has awarded the Bass scholarship, named for a long-time leader of NTCA and the broadband industry.

"Every year, I am inspired by the amazing students who apply for an FRS scholarship," said FRS Executive Director Pam Becker. "The students who received scholarships this year should be proud of their achievements. We had over 1,000 applications for the 60 scholarships we awarded. We are especially proud that the FRS Board took initiative this year to expand our reach by establishing a scholarship dedicated to non-traditional students. Rural communities are filled with hardworking adults who put their education on hold, and it was long overdue that we support a pathway for them, too. Providing opportunities for people at every stage of life has always been at the heart of what we do, and that would not be possible without the generous support of NTCA members and dedicated individuals across the rural broadband industry."

A full list of scholarship awardees and the NTCA member companies partnering with FRS to make the funding possible is available online.