Employees of Patron Member Companies Invited to Apply for $50,000 in Education Scholarships
Employees of companies that support NSSF®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, at the highest level may apply for education aid through the NSSF Patron Member Scholarship Program. NSSF has made a total of $50,000 in scholarship funding available for a maximum of 20 winning entries.
NSSF is accepting applications in the Patron Member Scholarship Program through 5 p.m. PST on Monday May 25th, 2026
Scholarships are available only to employees and their family members of Patron Member companies of NSSF. (For specific eligibility, refer to the official guidelines.) The scholarship program is one of many benefits that Patron Member companies receive from NSSF.
Applicants must be enrolled in, or have been accepted and plan to attend, a college, university or vocational school during the fall 2026 school year. Scholarships are limited to candidates seeking an undergraduate or vocational degree only.
The NSSF Patron Member Scholarship requires an essay on one of the following topics:
1. Since 1937, more than $31 billion has been distributed through annual apportionments to states for managing wildlife resources — thanks to Pittman-Robertson excise taxes. Explain how the funds are generated, and how the Pittman-Robertson fund has supported wildlife conservation in the U.S. over the years since its implementation.
2. When the Bill of Rights was written, some words like “regulated” had a different meaning than most people think of today when they hear that term.
a. What did “regulated” or “well regulated” mean at the time the Bill of Rights was written?
b. What other terms in the Bill of Rights are often misinterpreted today because of changes in dialog over the years.
3. What does firearm safety mean to you? Elaborate on safety at the range, out in the field and when a firearm is not in use.
4. Explain how the Second Amendment is part of a broader framework for self-sufficiency (food, water, security) and what is lost when individuals outsource responsibility for their own safety and self-sufficiency.
Essays must be in English and submitted along with the online application.
Twenty applicants with the highest overall scores will be selected as scholarship prize winners. The applicant with the highest scored essay will earn the grand prize $8,000 scholarship. One first-place prizewinner with the second-highest scored essay will receive a scholarship of $5,000. One second-place prizewinner with the third-highest scored essay will receive a scholarship of $3,000. The remaining 17 runner-up prizewinners will each receive a scholarship of $2,000. NSSF will notify the winners by email and then list the recipients on its website after their acceptance.
Patron Member Scholarship Form
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