MRAA Educational Foundation Opens Scholarship Applications for 2025

Series of new scholarship programs seek to strengthen leadership and performance in the marine industry.

AUGUST 14, 2025, BROOKLYN PARK, MN – The MRAA Educational Foundation has announced that application forms for its 2025 scholarships and awards are now open to MRAA members who would like to be considered for recognition.

The MRAA Educational Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization, provides essential financial support for dealerships to enroll team members in education, training and career development, so that dealership growth and success is more attainable. The Foundation lives out this vision by providing scholarships to dealership team members, and in 2025, the MRAA Educational Foundation has expanded its scholarship opportunities to fund more training and development across the industry.

“The MRAA Educational Foundation board is always looking for ways to expand the impact we can have on the marine industry,” explains Foundation Board Chair Matt Lodder. “This year, we are thrilled to invest more and provide a significant increase in the scholarships we are delivering to the industry to help strengthen leadership at the dealer level.”

New for 2025, the MRAA Educational Foundation has introduced the Service Excellence Scholarship package, which will award one dealership organization, an all-expenses paid enrollment in MRAA’s Service Advisor Certification program, an all-expenses paid enrollment in MRAA’s Service Management Certification program, and reimbursement of up to $2,500 for a technician from the dealership to attend a training program of the dealership’s choice. Interested parties can apply for the Service Department Excellence Scholarship package here.

“We wanted to ensure that we could deliver a powerful package of courses that would set up a dealership to excel in their market at delivering an outstanding service experience,” says Jim Petersen, Educational Foundation board member and Director of Service at Port Harbor Marine. “These three opportunities should set up any dealership to strengthen the performance of its entire service department.”

Also new for 2025, and as an expansion of MRAA’s Darlene Briggs Marine Industry Woman of the Year recognition, the MRAA Educational Foundation will be extending one scholarship opportunity to a woman in leadership or aspiring to a leadership position in the marine industry to attend a women’s leadership program of their choice. The MRAA Educational Foundation has found a trio of recommended courses – the American Management Associations Women’s Leadership Certificate Program, the Yale School of Management Online Leadership Program, or Dale Carnegie’s Online Women’s Leadership Academy — as options, but the recipient can propose a different course for approval to the Foundation board, if they prefer. This scholarship will be presented in the name of the 2025 Darlene Briggs Marine Industry Woman of the Year Award recipient, and it has a value of approximately $3,000. Interest parties can apply for the Darlene Briggs Marine Industry Woman of the Year Scholarship here. This scholarship will be presented in the name of the 2025 Darlene Briggs Marine Industry Woman of the Year Award recipient.

“Through the important work the MRAA Educational Foundation does on behalf of the marine industry, we believe that strengthening the leadership opportunities specifically for women in this male-dominated industry is a critical initiative,” explains Susan Duquette, Foundation Board Member and President of Lakeview Marine, Inc. “With the Darlene Briggs award recognition already a fixture across the industry, we wanted to be able to also focus on building the future of our industry by offering a scholarship that specifically addressed how women can grow their leadership skills. The powerful courses we have identified as opportunities will help build a foundation, a strong skill set for continued leadership growth and influence.”

The MRAA Educational Foundation will also offer scholarships in 2025 for the Kevin Lodder Business Management Scholarship, the Duane Spader Leadership Development Scholarship, and the Darlene Briggs Marine Industry Woman of the Year Award. These scholarships and awards will be presented at Dealer Week 2025 in Tampa, Fla., on December 9th.

About MRAA Educational Foundation
A nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization, the MRAA Educational Foundation has awarded more than 85 scholarships and awards, collectively worth more than $200,000 over the past 20 years. Donations from independent donors and corporate partners make all scholarships provided by the MRAA Educational Foundation possible. To learn more about donating, or to find more information about the MRAA Educational Foundation, visit MRAA.com/foundation.

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