Educational Foundation

The ICCFA Educational Foundation, founded in 2005, seeks to make education accessible to the future leaders of the deathcare profession. It does this by awarding scholarships to the educational programs of the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association, as well as advancing initiatives designed to promote the profession and support the individuals who answer the call of service. The ICCFA Educational Foundation is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charity.

You can make a difference by donating to the Educational Foundation using the form linked below.

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Education = Opportunity

Educational Scholarships

Opportunity Is Knocking: Apply For A Scholarship Today!

The ICCFA Educational Foundation awards many scholarships each year to qualifying ICCFA members so they can attend ICCFA events at no cost.

Scholarships are available for the ICCFA DEAD Talks sales conference and for the ICCFA University. Visit our Scholarships page to learn more about each scholarship that is available, as well as eligibility.

Explore Scholarship Opportunities

Lasting Impact Award

The Lasting Impact Awards were created by the ICCFA Educational Foundation to recognize those individuals who have made significant contributions to furthering professional development and lifelong learning in the funeral, cemetery and cremation profession.

The 2022 Lasting Impact Award has been awarded to Glenda Stansbury. Glenda’s legacy is notable for her training and development of celebrants, who offer an alternative to services provided by clergypersons for families who are not affiliated with a church or who do not wish to have a traditional religious funeral service. They are trained to design services that are completely personal, incorporating those unique stories, songs and experiences that defined the deceased. Under her guidance, she has trained over 4,665 celebrants with an estimated 7.5 million individuals who have witnessed the impact of a ceremony performed by one of her trainees.

The Lasting Impact Award will be presented to Glenda Stansbury at a reception on March 23 at the 2022 ICCFA Annual Convention and Exposition in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Journey to Serve

Journey to Serve is a collaborative initiative between the ICCFA Educational Foundation and the Funeral Service Foundation and is designed to help recruit military veterans to open positions within the deathcare profession. Journey to Serve’s purpose is twofold: The sweeping initiative equips deathcare and funeral service professionals with free tools and resources specifically designed to connect with military veterans on a local, regional, national, and international scale. At the same time, the initiative—which was funded equally by both organizations and endorsed by the ICCFA and NFDA—positions the funeral service profession as an ideal career path for military veterans to deploy the skills, traits, and talents acquired and earned during their tour of duty.

Journey to Serve Scholarships

As part of this recruitment initiative, twice a year the ICCFA Educational Foundation and the Funeral Service Foundation will award two $5,000 academic scholarships to military veterans pursuing education in funeral service and deathcare. A third scholarship, the Hunter M. Harbeson Memorial Scholarship, will provide $2,500 in academic support to a qualified U.S. veteran.

The submission cycles for applications are September 15 – November 1 and February 15 – April 1. Scholarship applications are currently being accepted through April 1, 2022.

Learn more about Journey to Serve

Learn More About Journey To Serve Scholarships

If you could ask deathcare professionals for advice, what would it be? Brought to you by the ICCFA Educational Foundation, Honored 2 Share is a fantastic resource where you can learn from deathcare professionals. Categorized by the different types of advice made readily available, you can watch short clips of industry professionals sharing their tips within the profession. Questions include:

If there was an emotional connection that initially lead you to our profession, would you share it with us?
What single point of advice would you offer?
What is one thing that you wish you would have known prior to starting in this profession?
And more!

The ICCFA Educational Foundation recognizes that learning from each other is beneficial to new and seasoned professionals alike, helping us all succeed in this profession. That’s why we are proud to present this resource to others, because we are Honored 2 Share.

Thank You

Final responders are funeral professionals who often go unnoticed as they care for our loved ones who have died. They plan funeral ceremonies, cremations, conduct committal services at cemeteries, and comfort us through the darkness when we can’t be with our loved ones to say goodbye. The ICCFA Educational Foundation would like to say “thank you” to all final responders.

The ICCFA Educational Foundation presents FinalResponders.org, a website designed to thank our final responders and offer links to grief resources to those in need.

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