I am pleased to announce that we are accepting scholarship applications for the upcoming Spring RYLA program.

The District Grants Sub-Committee will award up to two Scholarships per Club this Rotary year (July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026), on a first-come-first-served basis, as long as funds remain available. Each Scholarship awards $100, half of the registration fee of $200. Scholarships you were awarded for the Fall RYLA program are counted in your two-scholarship per year maximum.

To be considered for a scholarship the Club President completes the RYLA Scholarship application form HERE. Please review the form carefully when completing it.

Notes:

• No signature is required on the form. As long as I receive an email from the Club President with a completed scholarship form attached, I consider that to be adequate confirmation of his/her approval. No pen-and-ink signature is required.

• Your Club is responsible for paying the registration fees for your scholarship student(s) on time (by April 4, 2026). 

• Before issuing your check I will confirm with RYLA leadership that (1) your student is paid in full and (2) your student completed the RYLA program.

• There is no longer a requirement for the Club to submit a student participation certificate. I will confirm your student’s participation, as noted above.

• The RYLA Scholarship program is entirely separate from the RYLA Program itself. Applying for a Scholarship does not register your student for the program. For registration information click HERE.

Make sure your application is in my hands by Monday, April 6, 2026, for your Club to qualify for a RYLA scholarship.

RYLA is the most exciting program I've experienced in Rotary - students invariably come back from RYLA ON FIRE to do good in the world. If your Club is not sending students to RYLA, you should! 

John Merkel, District Grants Sub-Committee Chair
February 16, 2026