Applications for the 2025-2026 Academic Year will open in December!
Application Deadlines for 2025-2026 Academic Year:
JD Candidates: February 28, 2025, at 12:00 am MST
LLM/SJD Candidates: March 15, 2025, at 12:00 am MDT
The Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law is dedicated to supporting law students through a variety of impactful scholarship programs at its Constituent Law Schools. Among these, the Foundation Scholarships, established in 1993 and funded by unrestricted resources, stand out, including scholarships honoring the legacy of the former long-time Executive Director, Dave Phillips. Additionally, the Foundation administers endowed restricted scholarships, paying tribute to the memories of Dick Bate, Mary Viviano, and Chuck Moran. The Legacy Scholarship Fund ensures sustained educational support, while a scholarship in honor of Cassie Boggs adds to the Foundation's commitment. Furthermore, the Frances Hartogh Diversity Outreach Scholarships (FHDOS) cater to living expenses for students at CLS, exemplifying the Foundation's dedication to diversity. For background on the establishment of the FHDOS awards, “Race, Ethnicity, and Natural Resources in the United States: A Review,” by John Schelhas, may be viewed here.)
Lastly, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion scholarships target JD students at any accredited law school who identify as persons of color. Collectively, these scholarship initiatives underscore the Foundation's mission to foster inclusivity, diversity, and academic excellence in the legal field.
In 2024 alone, the Foundation awarded over $276 thousand in scholarships, and since the inception of the scholarship programs, the Foundation has awarded more than $4.4 million in scholarships.
Students at CLS may complete an application that covers each of these programs (students must complete a separate application for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion scholarship), although students should pay special attention to the criteria for the named scholarships and address those criteria in the application, if applicable. General criteria apply to all of the scholarship programs, but certain scholarships, other than the Foundation Scholarships, may have additional criteria. Students should review the scholarship application for more information.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Scholarships
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Scholarship was established in 2020. Scholarships are awarded to JD applicants annually who meet certain general criteria and who identify as persons of color. To be eligible for this scholarship, a student must be enrolled full time at an accredited law school but need not be attending a Constituent Law School. A student must demonstrate serious and diligent pursuit of academic achievement (although academic performance is not determinative). Other criteria include leadership ability, year in law school, and financial need.
Learn More Here
Eligibility
For most scholarships, a law student who is enrolled full-time at one of the Foundation’s Constituent Law Schools and who can demonstrate a commitment to the study of natural resources or energy law is eligible to apply. LLM students and incoming 1Ls who have applied to one of these schools but have not yet been accepted may also apply. Unlike our other scholarships, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Scholarships are available to full-time JD students who identify as persons of color at accredited law schools whether or not they are attending a Constituent Law School.
Scholarship Amounts
Fall, spring, and full-year scholarships may cover partial or full tuition. Recent awards have ranged from $1,000 to $18,000. Tuition scholarships must be used at, and will be paid directly to, the student's law school.
Award Process
Applications are evaluated and awards are made by the Foundation’s Scholarships Committee according to the following criteria:
- Potential to make a significant contribution to the field of natural resources law
- Academic ability
- Leadership ability
- Year in law school
- Financial need
- Foundation Student Member (Student Membership in the Foundation is FREE - join today!)
Application Process
Students should complete the online application in its entirety and submit the application and all applicable attachments. If you have questions regarding the online application process, please contact [email protected].
Application Deadlines
The completed application and supporting documents must be submitted by February 28, 2025, for JD Applicants and March 15, 2025, for LLM/SJD Applicants. Students enrolled in a combined JD/Masters programs must observe the JD Application deadline. INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS AND APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINE WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.
Congratulations to all the 2024 - 2025 Scholarship Recipients
Legacy Scholarship Awards
Mary Archer, Southern Methodist University
Tristan Fromm, University of Colorado
Meridian Wappett, University of Montana
Richard H. Bate Scholar
Jayson McKinley, Southern Methodist University
Catherine J. Boggs Scholar
Megan Wilson, University of Calgary
Mary A. Viviano Scholar
Xiran Yan, Southern Methodist University
Charles Edgar “Chuck” Moran Scholar
Robert Evans, University of Oklahoma
Frances Hartogh Diversity Outreach Scholarships
Nickolasa Jackson, Washburn University
Vanessa Springer, University of New Mexico
Sydney White, University of Minnesota
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Scholars
Joseph Gregory, University of California-Los Angeles
Andrew Hallak, University of California-Irvine
Carmen Patino Urdaneta, University of Houston
Xiran Yan, Southern Methodist University
The Foundation Scholarship Awards
| Zachary Alberts, University of Denver |
Samantha Martey-Carboo, University of Calgary |
| Daniel Anderson, University of Colorado |
Jayson McKinley, Southern Methodist University |
| Mary Archer, Southern Methodist University |
Flavia Nasambu Okanya, University of Colorado |
| Jinyong Chung, Texas Tech University |
Carmen Patino Urdaneta, University of Houston |
| CK Ellwood, University of New Mexico |
Tess Peterson, University of Utah |
| Robert Evans, University of Oklahoma |
Paige Punzalan, Lewis and Clark Law School |
| Nnabuife Shedrack Ezema, University of Oregon |
Oliver Skelly, University of Colorado |
| James Faul, University of Calgary |
*Vanessa Springer, University of New Mexico |
| Lydia Fisher, Lewis and Clark Law School |
Omolola Tokun, University of Calgary |
| Megan Flaherty, Lewis and Clark Law School |
Mridula Vijairaghavan, University of Calgary |
| Tristan Fromm, University of Colorado |
Meridian Wappett, University of Montana |
| Lauren Glasser, University of Calgary |
Carl Nai Williams, University of Colorado |
| Nickolasa Jackson, Washburn University |
Megan Wilson, University of Calgary |
| Aiden Kneller, University of New Mexico |
Xiran Yan, Southern Methodist University |
*David P. Phillips Scholarship
The Foundation congratulates the awardees and thanks all of the applicants for their interest and efforts!
If you would like to support and/or learn more about the Foundation and its programs, contact the Foundation at 303-321-8100 or [email protected]