RID is proud to offer our revamped Scholarships and Awards program. This program seeks to support and recognize our association’s members in meaningful ways while creating lasting connections for our community.
This scholarship offers financial support for training costs or CASLI exam fees for BIPOC and other underrepresented interpreter groups who are pursuing RID certification.
Apply for the Interpreters of Tomorrow Fund today!
Donate to the Interpreters of Tomorrow Fund
This scholarship is awarded to high school seniors and recent high school graduates/GED equivalents wishing to enter the profession of ASL interpreting and who have plans to enroll in an ITP program.
Apply for the Career Exploration Fund today!
Donate to the Career Exploration Fund
ASL Heritage Fund: This scholarship offers financial support for training and certification costs specifically for D/deaf, CODAs or Heritage signers pursuing RID certification.
Apply for the ASL Heritage Fund today!
Donate to the ASL Heritage Fund
This scholarship seeks to provide ASL interpreters with financial support for costs related to enrollment in mentorship programs or other mentoring-related training.
Apply for the New Horizons Mentoring Fund today!
Donate to the New Horizons Mentoring Fund
This scholarship will provide financial support to ASL interpreters who are ready to take the next step in their career development by registering for initial CASLI exam fees.
Apply for the Pathways to Professionalism today!
Donate to the Pathways to Professionalism scholarship
This scholarship will fund leadership training opportunities and preparation for individuals interested in serving the ASL interpreting field, RID as an organization, or the deaf community in a leadership capacity.
Apply for the Signs of Impact today!
Donate to the Signs of Impact scholarship
This scholarship will provide financial support for individuals seeking assistance to attend either the RID national conference or their region’s conference. One award per region, per year.
Apply for the Conference Connections Fund today!
Donate to the Conference Connections Fund
This award was established with a goal of recognizing individuals and organizations engaged in innovation, research and other entrepreneurial projects that positively impact the profession of sign language interpreting.
Apply for the Brilliance Award today!
Donate to the Brilliance Award
Laurie Nash Deaf Parented Interpreter (DPI) Scholarship
This annual scholarship is open to Deaf-Parented interpreters (Deaf or CODA) who are ready to apply for a CASLI interpreting exam including both portions of the exam. There will be up to two scholarship recipients each year. Applicants may apply for only one scholarship per year.
More information can be found on the Laurie Nash Deaf Parented Interpreter (DPI) Scholarship website here!
Donate to the Laurie Nash DPI Scholarship today!
Member Services Awards and Recognition Initiatives.
An oldie but a goodie, this service award is awarded biennially at the RID national conference, recognizing individuals who have had an outsized impact and demonstrated dedication to the field of interpreting and to the organization.
A recognition award based on staff/board/community nominations.
This award recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to the field of interpreting and interpreter education. The award, started in 1985, is a national award jointly awarded by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc. (RID), and the Conference of Interpreter Trainers (CIT). The recipient of this award is recognized at both the RID and CIT conventions.
General Scholarships and Awards Application Guidelines and Information.
Applicants must satisfy all general and award-specific requirements prior to application.
For all funds except for Career Exploration, the applicant must maintain a membership with the national RID organization in good standing. Higher awards will be granted to applicants who simultaneously maintain a voluntary membership with an RID affiliate chapter in good standing.
Applications will be accepted online, with awards granted on a yearly basis (at this time).
Individuals may only receive each award once. Unsuccessful applicants from previous award cycles may apply again for the same award during the next cycle.
All non-monetary awards must be redeemed within 12 months.
Scholarship winners will be selected twice a year.
Each application window is open for a six (6) month period:
Spring Window – November 1 to April 30.
Fall Window – May 1 to October 31.
Notifications are sent to winners and non-winners no later than July 15 (Spring Awards) and January 15 (Fall Awards).
Apply online for the desired scholarship during the application window.
Applicants must submit videos, recommendations, and supporting documents with their application form. Incomplete submissions will not be considered.
Scholarship and Awards (S&A) Committee reviews all qualifying submissions received during an award application window.
S&A Committee selects the winner(s).
RID HQ sends notifications to all winners and acknowledgments to all non-winners.
Do you need more information? Reach out to us! Please fill out our Contact Us form and select “Scholarships and Awards” and we will be happy to assist you.