MSA FORWARD 2025 Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion (DEAI) Scholarship
The purpose of this scholarship is to afford the opportunity to an individual that self-identifies as having a background(s) currently underrepresented in the membership of Museum Store Association to further their career goals in the non-profit retail field. This individual will not only attend MSA FORWARD 2025 but serve as a member on MSA’s DEAI Committee in order to contribute to MSA’s effort to champion the values of diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion.
Submit your application HERE by February 14, 2025.
Eligibility:
- This award is open to Museum Store Association non-members and current members who are employed at a nonprofit institution in the retail and/or visitor services field.
- Must certify financial need. Financial need is defined as but not limited to institutional budget cuts or a lack of support towards professional development/travel.
Self-identifies as at least one of the following underrepresented backgrounds listed below:
- Individuals from racial/ethnic groups underrepresented in Museum Store Association, including but not limited to African American/Black, American Arab, Middle Eastern, and North African (AMENA), Asian/Asian American, Asian Pacific Islander (API), BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, person of color), Hispanic, Latin(a/o), Latinx
- Individuals with disabilities, who are defined as those with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities
- LGBTQIA+
This award includes the following:
A one-year institutional membership for the Museum Store Association ($199 Value)
Full Conference Registration for MSA FORWARD 2025 ($548 Value)
A stipend to cover travel and other expenses associated with the conference is to be determined based on the recipient’s proximity to the MSA FORWARD location and need.
Requirements Associated with Scholarship:
- Full participation in MSA FORWARD 2025 includes attending the newcomer’s orientation on Monday, May 5th, their chapter meeting, the Awards Luncheon, educational sessions, and the expo. The recipient must also volunteer.
- The award recipient will be responsible for contributing to a future article in Museum Store Magazine or a blog outlining their experience.
- Serve as a MSA’s DEAI Committee member from June 2025 to May 2026.
2025 MSA FORWARD Fellowship Fund
The MSA Board of Directors has created a new fund to assist Institution attendees who have attended MSA FORWARD in the past but need more funding to do so. The fund will assist with travel and/or registration expenses for MSA FORWARD 2025. Funding amounts will depend on the number of applicants and the funding needed.
This year, MSA FORWARD 2025 is headed to Los Angeles, CA, on May 5-9, 2025
To be eligible to receive this year’s scholarship, applicants must meet the following qualifications:
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Must certify financial need
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Must be an MSA Institution member in good standing
MSA Staff and the Board of Directors determine the total award amount for each year. The MSA Memorial Scholarship Committee reviews applications and chooses the recipients. The committee determines what portion of this award will be given to each recipient—the amount of each award may vary based on financial need, distance traveled by the recipient, etc.
Please submit your application HERE by midnight on Friday, February 14, 2025.
All applicants will receive written notification of their selection or non-selection by February 28, 2025.
Fellowship recipients must attend the entire program on the specified date and location. The award must be returned if a recipient cannot attend the Conference and expo. The award is not transferable.
MSA Memorial Scholarship
MSA Staff and Board of Directors determine the total award amount for each year. The MSA Memorial Scholarship Committee reviews applications and chooses the recipients. The committee determines what portion of this award will be given to each recipient – the amount of each award may vary based on financial need, distance traveled by the recipient, etc.
This year, MSA FORWARD 2025 is headed to Los Angeles, CA, from May 5-9, 2025.
Submit your application for 2025 HERE.
All applicants will receive written notification of their selection or non-selection. Applicants who are not selected may be encouraged to apply the next year.
Scholarship award recipients must attend the full program on the date and location specified. In case of a recipient being unable to attend MSA FORWARD, the award must be returned. The applicant may re-apply at any time to attend a future conference. The award is not transferable.
In order to be eligible to receive this year’s scholarship, applicants must meet the following qualifications:
- Must be a first-time attendee of the MSA FORWARD
- Must certify financial need
- Must be a MSA Institutional member in good standing
History:
Samuel Julius Greenberg was director of museum shops for the Smithsonian Institution from 1982-89. He felt MSA’s Museum Retail Conference and Expo was a golden opportunity to learn, shop and connect with museum retail professionals. As a speaker, he gave freely of his knowledge and expertise. As a delegate, he was fond of saying that he always learned something new from store managers of both large and small museums. When a member of Sam’s staff deserved recognition for an outstanding accomplishment, Sam presented him or her with a “Dragon Slayer” pin. In honor of Sam’s memory and to embrace his enthusiasm, MSA founded the Sam Greenberg Scholarship Fund, which helps bring museum store personnel to their first MSA Museum Retail Conference & Expo. In recent years the Sam Greenberg Scholarship Fund was renamed the MSA Memorial Scholarship in order to commemorate additional nonprofit retail professionals who served MSA for many years.