The Handweavers Guild of America makes a fund of over $4,000 available to students displaying ability in fiber arts disciplines including art conservation. Undergraduate and graduate students studying in accredited programs in the United States and Canada may apply for the scholarships. Merit alone determines the award winners and the two scholarships differ only in intended use. HGA scholarships can be used only to pay for tuition, whereas Dendel scholarships can also cover costs associated with materials and travel related to education. Applicants must submit an application form along with images of her work and an accompanying image description sheet. Including transcripts from her educational institution and a self-addressed, stamped envelope allowing for the images to be returned completes her application. HGA pays out scholarships in the summer in amounts that depend on the total available scholarship fund. Scholarship requirements include spending the money within a year of the award and following up the scholarship with a written report.
Majoring in a more general art-related discipline than conservation increases the number of scholarships available to applicants. College and university art departments frequently offer scholarships to studio art or art history majors. Wayne State University, for example, offers the Art Activity award to students with a vested interest in art and art history programs. When choosing a school, students interested in art conservation should take these more general scholarships into account.
Studying art conservation at a school that provides financial support to all art conservation majors is one of the best ways to fund art conservation training. In addition to a less expensive education, schools that provide students with this level of support offer a more specific, better-quality education than less focused programs. The art conservation program at the State University of New York's Buffalo State College supports each member of each entering class with a fellowship covering a stipend and the full cost of tuition. The program is also one of three that the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation recognizes as "...leading conservation training programs... "
Students whose conservation work incorporates composite materials are eligible to apply for the Gary B. Multanen Scholarship. The scholarship awards a $1,000 prize, a trip to COMPOSITES, the composites industry convention, and publication in Composites Manufacturing magazine. Applying students submit research papers or reports, transcripts, and an application form. The scholarship is available to full-time students in good standing at accredited colleges and universities. To be eligible, applicants must also live in the United States.