College Scholarships

Service to Church. Community. School. Scouting.

The National Catholic Committee on Scouting awards ten scholarships totaling $27,000. Originally established as the Emmett J. Doerr Memorial Scout Scholarship, the program is now known as the NCCS Scholarship Program. Applicants complete one application to be considered for any of the scholarship awards. NCCS Scholarships are awarded to service-oriented high school seniors who are Catholic Scouts in a BSA Program and continuing their education in college. The requirements are listed in the Eligibility Requirements section of this page.

Since 2005, NCCS has awarded a total of $218,000 in scholarships to 98 service-oriented Scouts nationwide.

About the NCCS Scholarships

The Emmett J. Doerr Memorial Scout Scholarships

Seven separate scholarships are awarded.

1st place – $5000, 2nd place – $4000, 3rd place – $3000 plus four additional – $2000 scholarships

In 2005, the National Catholic Committee on Scouting® and the Doerr Family established the Emmett J. Doerr Memorial Scout Scholarship Program. These service scholarships honor Mr. Emmett J. Doerr who was a dedicated Catholic Scouter. He was an active member of the NCCS, the International Catholic Committee on Scouting and served on the BSA National Camping Committee. Mr. Doerr, whose four sons and three of his grandsons are Eagle Scouts, was also a major supporter of the Milwaukee County Council, now Three Harbors Council. They honored him with the Milwaukee County Council Flight of Eagles, the MCC Good Scout Award and named Camp Doerr, located in Indian Mound Scout Reservation, in his honor. He was the first recipient of both the NCCS Brother Barnabas Founders Award and the Spes Mundi Award. In addition, he was awarded the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope and St. George medals. The Doerr family and the NCCS are continuing his legacy by offering these Doerr Scholarships in his name to seven (7) distinguished Catholic Scouts.

The Frank Parater Scholarship

$3,000 Scholarship

The Francis “Frank” Parater $3,000 Scholarship has been established to honor Frank Parater, Servant of God and Eagle Scout (1897-1920). Born in Richmond, VA, Parater was educated at the Xaverian Brother’s School (currently St. Patrick’s School) and at Benedictine High School in Richmond. He graduated in 1917, top in his class and valedictorian. Parater became active in the Boy Scouts of America in his late teens. He was a member of Troop 40, part of what was then the Richmond Council and is now the Heart of Virginia Council. He took on multiple leadership roles with the troop, built a reputation as a Scout with strong ideals and sound judgment and attained the rank of Eagle Scout. Discerning a call to the priesthood, he entered the seminary in 1917. During his studies in Rome, he died of rheumatic fever in 1920 at the age of 22. Because of his exceptional life of virtue, a cause for his canonization was opened in 2001. A $3,000 scholarship funded through the NCCS Scholarship Endowment has been established in his memory.

The Bill and Kay Davies Scholarship

$2,000 NCCS Scholarship

Through a generous contribution from Bill and Kay Davies, a $2,000 NCCS Scholarship has been established. Scouting has been part of the Davies family for many years; their two sons and grandson are all Eagle Scouts. The Davies have been members of the NCCS since the early 1990s. Kay has served many years as the Advisor of the Conference Committee and is a recipient of the Silver St. George Award. Bill served as the NCCS National Chair for three years, Finance vice-chair for six years, and is an Executive Board member. In addition to activity on the NCCS, Bill chaired the Archdiocese of St. Paul and the Minneapolis Catholic Committee. He is a recipient of the Brother Barnabus Founders Award, Silver St. George Award, and recently received the BSA National Duty to God Award. Because of their strong belief in Catholic Scouting, Bill and Kay have funded a $2,000 annual scholarship.

The Tony & Patrice Steenkolk Family Scholarship

$2,000 NCCS Scholarship

Through a generous contribution from Tony and Patrice Steenkolk, a $2,000 NCCS Scholarship has been established. Their four sons have all attained Eagle Rank, Vigil Honor in Order of the Arrow and Roman Catholic religious emblems. The couple have two passions in Scouting: Duty to God and teaching leadership. Tony has promoted Duty to God for over 15 years at every level, staffed National Youth Leadership Training nine times, including scoutmaster and Wood Badge staff. Patrice is also Wood Badge trained and was chosen to be on staff. Tony has been awarded the Bronze Pelican and St. George religious emblems, Silver Beaver, Distinguished Commissioner Service and holds Vigil Honor in Order of the Arrow. A member of the Catholic Committee on Scouting for the Archdiocese of Chicago, he chairs the subcommittee for his council. Patrice is a member of this subcommittee and enjoys teaching the NCCS Religious Activity American Saint series for the council’s annual Catholic Camporee. They are excited to be able to help others with the financial burden of attending college.

Eligibility Requirements (All Scholarships)

Be a practicing Catholic
Be a full-time high school senior
Be a registered young man or woman actively involved with a Scout Troop, Venturing Crew, or Sea Scout Ship
Earned the Eagle Scout, Summit Award, or Quartermaster Award
Earned the Ad Altare Dei, Pope Pius XII, or Light is Life (Eastern Rite) Religious Emblem
Provided service and leadership to your Church, community, school and Scouting

How to Apply

You must use the current application.
Application is available online from Sept. 1^st through March 1^st.

Applications may be obtained in the following ways:

The 2023 Scholarship Application is now available online. [ Microsoft Word | PDF ]
E-mailing info@nccs-bsa.org
Calling Elizabeth V. Olivas at 214-714-6950 (direct line) or 972-580-2114 (message).

Submit the following with your application:

Submit the application form along with four (4) signed letters of recommendations. One letter from each of the following: Religious institution, Community, School and Scouting Unit. Please write the category at the top of each letter.
Include a high school transcript.
Provide a recent high-quality headshot photo of yourself in BSA uniform.

Mail completed applications to:

National Catholic Committee on Scouting
Attn: Elizabeth Olivas/NCCS Scholarship Program
P.O. Box 949
Rociada, NM 87742

Deadline:

Applications must be postmarked by March 1st to be eligible.

Details

Applications are reviewed by the NCCS Scholarship Committee.
Submitting a scholarship application is not a guarantee that a scholarship will be granted. There is no appeal, and the decision of the Scholarship Committee is final. NCCS is not responsible for lost or misdirected applications.
Applications become the property of the Scholarship Committee and will not be returned. Please note that incomplete applications will be disqualified.
The ten (10) scholarship recipients will be selected no later than May 15th.
Names of the winners will be listed on the NCCS website by June 1st.
All information sent becomes the property of NCCS.
All decisions of the Scholarship Committee are final.
The scholarship is intended to be used for the year awarded but may be deferred for up to two years if approved by the Scholarship Committee.
Disbursement from the scholarship fund will be made directly to an accredited institution of higher learning at the beginning of the enrollment period.
The scholarship may be used to defray necessary costs of the awardee’s tuition, room or board, books, and/or fees.

2022 Recipients

In 2022, the National Catholic Committee on Scouting (NCCS) is pleased to announce that nine scholarships totaling $25,000 have been awarded this year. These included seven Emmett J Doerr Memorial Scout Scholarships totaling $20,000: First Place – $5,000, Second Place – $4,000, Third Place – $3,000, plus four additional $2,000 awards. New this year is a $2,000 Bill and Kay Davies Scholarship and a $3,000 Frank Parater Scholarship.

Congratulations to the nine exceptional Scouts who have been awarded NCCS Scholarships in 2022. Each winner demonstrated outstanding leadership and service in four areas: Church, Community, School, and Scouting, earned the Eagle, Summit, or Quartermaster award, and at least one of the following, Ad Altare Dei, Pope Pius XII, or Light is Life (Eastern Rite) Religious Emblem. Since 2005, NCCS has awarded a total of $218,000 in scholarships to 98 Scouts nationwide.

THE 2022 EMMETT J. DOERR Memorial Scout Scholarship Recipients are:

BILL AND KAY DAVIES SCHOLARSHIP

$2,000 – Theodore Paul Kariuki, Bloomington, MN, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Northern Star Council

FRANK PARATER SCHOLARSHIP

$3,000 – Matthew Fries, Bartlesville, OK, Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, Cherokee Area Council

You may see a list of all past recipients here. {Pdf under development}