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 members that waives the registration fee to ICCFA Events, so they only need to pay for travel and lodging.

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

Explore Scholarship Opportunities

The Foundation’s Impact

Thanks to the generosity of the ICCFA Educational Foundation and its donors, 108 ICCFA University students were able to attend this incredible educational event without the cost of registration. Check out what these five recipients had to say about their experience at ICCFAU 2023!

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 2023 Lasting Impact Award has been awarded to Doug Gober. Doug received this award in recognition of his commitment and contributions to the deathcare profession over his 44-year career. During this time, he has logged hundreds of hours as a speaker and educator at deathcare events across the globe and has presented at many ICCFA events. Doug has earned numerous national awards and has served as a consultant for marketing and merchandising projects on an international scale.

The ICCFA Educational Foundation’s Lasting Impact Award was presented to Doug at a reception held in conjunction with the 2023 ICCFA Annual Convention and Exposition in Kansas City, Missouri, on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.

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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.

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.

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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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