Q. How many scholarships has the Vermeer Charitable Foundation given?
A. From 1983-2023, 1,160 scholarships have been given to sons and daughters of Vermeer Corporation team members. In 2024 the Vermeer Charitable Corporation will be giving 46 scholarships to sons and daughters of Pella, VATH and Griswold team members, up to two scholarships for Freeman team members' children, and up to two scholarships for Vermeer MV Solutions team members' children.  The amount given has grown from $1,000.00 per scholarship to $2,000.00 per scholarship.

Q. How many high schools are represented by recipients of the scholarship?
A. 59 high schools have had graduates receive this scholarship since 1983.

Q. How many colleges, both 2 and 4 year, are represented by recipients of the scholarship?
A. 108 universities, colleges, and community colleges have had students receive this scholarship since 1983.

Q. When may I apply for this scholarship?
A. The application process is open from Wednesday, December 1, 2023 through Friday, March 1, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. Applications not completed at that time will not be considered by the selection committee.

Q. What are the scholarships based on?
A. The following directives are given to the selection committee: The Vermeer Charitable Foundation Directors would like to highlight a few items for you to consider as you read the applications and make your decisions as a group. Please take time to read the applications and recommendations carefully and take each one at face value giving your recommendation of scholarship recipients to those who are most deserving in academics, service, involvement, and character. Please remember the following:  

• Vermeer Charitable Foundation does not base these scholarships on financial need. That information is not asked for anywhere in the application process.
• Vermeer Charitable Foundation does not base these scholarships on school or location.
• Vermeer Charitable Foundation provides these scholarships on a yearly basis which means applicants need to apply every year. Because an applicant did not receive a scholarship in previous years should have no bearing on their current opportunity to receive one. Likewise, if an applicant has received a scholarship in previous years, that should not hinder or help them in their application for a current scholarship.
• Vermeer Charitable Foundation provides these scholarships to all sons and daughters of Vermeer Corporation - Pella, VATH, Griswold, Freeman, and Vermeer MV Solutions - team members. The number of children from one family applying for the scholarship has no bearing on how many children receive the scholarship.

  The scholarship is not specifically aimed toward students studying for degrees which are business or manufacturing oriented. All areas of academics, service, involvement, and character are taken into consideration. The scholarship selection committee does not know if applicants’ parents are office or production staff at Vermeer. That information is not given on the application.

Q. How many times may one person receive the scholarship?
A. Up to four times

Q. Who is eligible to apply?
A. Applicants must be: ·         Current high school/home school seniors or college students working toward an undergraduate degree. ·         A dependent, legally adopted child of or a dependent stepchild who resides with a full-time or regular part-time Vermeer Corporation (Pella, Des Moines, Ames), Vermeer Freeman, Vermeer MV Solutions, or Vermeer Griswold team member, or a child whose legal guardian is a full-time or regular part-time Vermeer Corporation (Pella, Des Moines, Ames), Vermeer Freeman, Vermeer MV Solutions, or Vermeer Griswold team member (office or production staff). ·         Unmarried and not planning to be married during the following academic year. Please note that recipients must be enrolled full-time in the college of their choice for the entire year they are receiving the scholarship. The Vermeer Charitable Foundation operates under restrictions imposed by U.S. Tax Law, Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3).  As such, it must limit its benefits to charities, organizations or programs headquartered and conducted in the United States.  As a result and while all team member families are very much valued by Vermeer, the only Vermeer team members whose dependent children may apply under the scholarship program administered by VCF are those employed by the US entities - Vermeer Corporation (Pella, Des Moines, Ames), Vermeer Freeman, Vermeer MV Solutions, and Vermeer Griswold.

Q. How do I find out about the scholarship application process?
A. ·         Announcements and reminders are listed in the Voice December through February. ·         Much information can be found on EquipMe, click on About Vermeer, click on Vermeer Charitable Foundation, click on Scholarships. ·         Go to the internet at www.vermeer.com , click on About Us, Vermeer Charitable Foundation, Scholarships. ·         Ask your manager or HRBP.

Q. Where do I find the application?
A.

• Please note that the current application becomes available on December 1, 2021.
• Go to www.vermeer.com , click on About Us>Vermeer Charitable Foundation>Scholarships>Apply for Scholarship.

   

Q. What if I do not have a home computer?
A. We ask that you find a computer you may use either at school, at the local library, or a friend's or relative's.  If that is impossible, please call us at 641-628-3141, and we will work something out with you.

Q. What documents are required for this scholarship to be considered complete?
A.

• The application which can be completed on-line.
• Complete official high school transcripts (high school seniors – this must be through the first semester of your senior year)
• Official college transcripts through 1st semester of current year and all college transcripts of any college you have attended.
• Three character references
• ACT/SAT scores for 4-year colleges (4-year degree programs).

All items, except for the college transcript, must be completed or uploaded online.

Q. Who should fill out my character references?
A. We suggest choosing three people from the following list: ·         Teacher ·         Guidance counselor/advisor ·         Employer ·         Professor ·         Coach ·         Youth leader/pastor ·         Someone who knows you well enough to answer the questions ·         Do not have family members fill this out. Avoid peers, close friends/neighbors. It is highly recommended for college students to have at least one of these recommendations come from someone they interact with in college:  a college professor, college coach, college music director, etc. All recommendations must be completed on-line.  Instructions are in the application.

Q. What about sending in the character recommendations?
A. All recommendations will be submitted through an on-line process.  Students will find instructions for submitting the names and e-mail addresses of the people they would like to fill out their recommendations on the application form.  E-mails will automatically be sent to these people who will then be able to fill out and submit the form on-line from their own computer.

Q. Do I need to send my high school transcripts again if I have applied before?
A. Yes, you will need to ask your high school secretary or guidance counselor to submit these as we can no longer keep these from year-to-year with our new on-line format.  You will find a place in the on-line application to give the e-mail address of the secretary or guidance counselor so that they can upload this information directly on-line.

Q. How do I know if my application is complete?
A. You will receive automated e-mails as different aspects of your application are received including when you have submitted your application, when your character recommendations have been received, and when your high school transcripts have been uploaded and received.   Make sure you look for an e-mail stating that your application for the Vermeer Charitable Foundation has successfully been completed before the deadline.  If you have not received this e-mail and you believe your application and all the requirements are complete, please call our office before the deadline!  641-628-3141.  Or email [email protected].

Q. What transcripts for college classes do I need to submit?
A. You should provide transcripts for all college classes you have taken. If you have had some classes in which you dual enrolled (ie. taken a class in high school that was also given college credit) you do not need a college transcript for that class. The grade should show on your high school transcript. All other college classes, whether taken in person or on-line, should be accounted for on a transcript.  Also, if you have attended more than one college (such as transferring to a different college after your first year), you will need to provide a transcript from each college you have attended.

Q. May I send in transcripts or other official documents myself?
A. All high school transcripts and other documents should be uploaded by high school personnel directly.  Please identify the person to do this on your scholarship application form, and they will receive an e-mail directly giving them the information they need to be able to do this.  Transcripts from your college should be sent from the registrar's office directly to Vermeer Charitable Foundation.  They should be on official college letterhead with a seal and in a sealed envelope.  Do not send these in yourself.  They should not be e-mailed or scanned.  The college transcripts must be postmarked by the stated deadline or before.

Q. What if I was home schooled for high school?
A. You must still provide us with notarized high school transcripts.

Q. What are the requirements regarding the ACT/SAT?
A. If you are entering a 2-year trade school or community college (for a 1-, 2-, or 3-year degree program) you may submit your Iowa Assessment scores (or scores of other standardized testing done in your high school). These scores are often attached to your official high school transcript. Check with your school to confirm. You may also submit ACT or SAT scores, although you do not have to. If no standardized tests were taken, you may simply enter NA (not applicable) where it asks for these scores.   If you are planning to attend a 4-year college or university or transfer to a 4-year college or university after starting at a trade school or community college (for a 4-year degree program) you must submit your ACT or SAT scores to the scholarship committee. Again, these scores are often attached to high school transcripts, but if not, you will need to send an official record of these. You may also submit Iowa Assessment scores, although you do not have to. 

Q. What if my application does not seem to submit when the time comes?  What if I experience some problem with the view of the application?  What if I experience some computer glitch?
A. Please contact us as soon as possible at [email protected] or call us at 641-628-3141.

Q. My login and password are not working. What do I do?
A. When you click on the link for the scholarship, you will be directed to set up an account and create your own password.  Please remember your password.  There is a place for you to click if you have forgotten your password.  Please follow the instructions there, if this happens. If your login and password still do not work, please call or e-mail us at 641-628-3141 or [email protected].

Q. What if I do not know what college I plan to attend? What if I do not know what I will major in? What if I do not know if I will follow a 2- or 4-year program?
A. Although this information is helpful, we encourage you to apply for the scholarship even if you do not know these things at this time. As the process continues and if you become a recipient, we will eventually need to know the name and address of the college you decide to attend. Please email us at [email protected] if you are having trouble deciding which application to fill out - the 2-year one or the 4-year one.  We will try to help you determine which would be best for your situation.

Q. Who is on the selection committee?
A. The people who are on the selection committee are kept anonymous, but please know that they come from the surrounding communities, from a variety of religious or non-religious backgrounds, are not related to the Vermeer family, and are not related to any of the applicants.

Q. Does the selection committee see all the applications?
A. Yes, the selection committee sees all completed applications.

Q. How many applications are usually received?
A. Our records show that there are over 1200 Vermeer team member dependents that were in the age range of typical college students and could have applied in 2020. 103 dependents started the scholarship application and 74 completed the application. This is fairly typical of the numbers from year to year – usually the number of completed applications may be a little higher. Needless to say, this is a very competitive scholarship with many qualified applicants. Please refer to the question regarding what the scholarship is based on for further details. The Vermeer Charitable Foundation is allowed by law to give scholarships to only a percentage of the applicants.

Q. When will I find out if I am a recipient of the scholarship?
A. The selection committee meets in mid to late March. Letters will be sent out before the first week of April to all applicants letting them know the decision of the committee, and the list of recipients will be posted at Vermeer Corporation, Vermeer Freeman, Vermeer MV Solutions, and Vermeer Griswold during the first week of April.

Q. When will I receive my scholarship?
A. In late May or early June all recipients will be invited to a reception hosted by the Vermeer family. In early June scholarship checks will be sent to the colleges listed on recipient’s application forms. Colleges usually apply half of the scholarship to your first semester and half of the scholarship to your second semester.

Q. What if I receive the scholarship and decide to go to a different college than I put on my original application form?
A. Please call or email us to inform us of that change as soon as you know so that we send the check to the correct place.

Q. What if I receive the scholarship and transfer to a different college after the first semester?
A. Please call or email us to inform us that you are no longer a student at the first college. Then call the first college and ask them to reimburse Vermeer Charitable Foundation for the remaining half of the scholarship. Once we receive a check from the college, we will send a new check for the remaining amount to your new college.

Q. What do you mean by "official" transcript?
A. An "official" transcript is one that is printed on high school or college letterhead, has the school seal, and also has the signature of a school official.  Your high school guidance counselor or school secretary will be able to upload your official transcript as well as other school records needed.  Please follow the instructions in the scholarship application.  At the college level, we will have to have you ask the college registrar to send the official document to our offices here at Vermeer (address listed on application and on guidelines on the website).   There will often be a fee to have these official transcripts sent.  A photocopy or fax of an official document is not considered "official."  A transcript sent by a student or parent is also not considered "official."  Home school transcripts must be notarized.

Q. What if I do not have time to complete my application immediately after starting it?
A. Each section of the scholarship application has a "save & finish later" button if you are unable to complete your application immediately. 

Q. What if my high school does not record a class rank for its students?
A. Please fill in that area on the application with NA (for Not Applicable).