The Mustard Seed Foundation would like to announce “The Harvey Fellowship” to Christian students. All persons receiving support from the Mustard Seed Foundation must demonstrate a personal faith in Jesus Christ and desire to serve and witness in his name. The fellowship program provides financial support to Christian students who are pursuing graduate studies at premier institutions in fields considered to be underrepresented by Christians and who possess a unique vision to impact society through their vocations. Fellowship is awarded an initial stipend of $16,000 stipends may be renewed for up to two additional years.
The Mustard Seed Foundation is a Christian family foundation established in 1983 under the leadership of Dennis W. Bakke and Eileen Harvey Bakke. The Foundation was created as an expression of their desire to be faithful stewards of the financial resources entrusted to them, to bring together the members of their extended families into common ministry, and to advance the kingdom of God.
Eligibility:
You are encouraged to apply if you are
- All applicants must either affirm the Lausanne Covenant as an expression of their faith and theological understanding.
- An individual must be enrolled in or have applied to a full-time graduate program.
- An individual must be attending or applying to a premier university — typically those with an internationally recognized reputation as a “top five” program in the specific discipline, or studying with an advisor (and/or team) who is an internationally recognized expert in their field — which will likely position the individual for a career in top companies, institutions and organizations worldwide.
- An individual must be able to demonstrate that their intended vocational field has a significant impact on society, and yet appears to be underrepresented by Christians.
- The most successful applicants tend to be preparing for careers in the following fields:
- Economics, business, and finance in public and private sectors
International diplomacy, security, and business - Journalism and media
- Film production and visual and performing arts
- Public policy and federal, state, and major city government.
- Applied and theoretical sciences
- Research, teaching, and administration at premier secular colleges and universities
How to Apply:
- Applicants can complete the online application process for the 2016-17 application cycle by the given link: http://msfdn.org/harveyfellows/online-application/
- For consideration, candidates must write Five essays and one is encouraged with a maximum 400 words each.
- Essay 1: Personal Faith Statement: Write a personal statement of your Christian faith (what it is that you believe). Explain the significance of your faith in Jesus Christ to your everyday life. Be sure to describe your involvement in a local church, and give examples of opportunities that you have had to demonstrate and evidence your faith.
- Essay 2: Vocational Goals: Briefly outline your vocational goals. Describe the factors that have motivated you to pursue your vocation. Be sure to reflect on your efforts to integrate your faith, learning, and vocation.
- Essay 3: Impact: Explain how this vocational area impacts society at large, and how this vocation is strategic to Christ’s kingdom. Provide evidence that your chosen field is underrepresented by Christians and tell us how you plan to impact your field for Christ.
- Essay 4: Leadership: Reference at least one recent leadership experience related to your vocational goal. If possible, show how you have demonstrated the ability to lead others, particularly as the head of an organization or group. Describe how this experience has played a role in your development and/or informed your understanding of leadership in general.
- Essay 5: Degree Program: Describe the special strengths of the degree program(s) to which you have applied, and how they compare to the acknowledged premier programs in your specialty. Discuss how these programs will prepare you to enter the job market and pursue a position of influence within your field.
- Essay 6: Other (Optional, but encouraged): State anything else that is important for us to know about you. We encourage you to share information you feel is important but have not had the opportunity to fully present in the other essays. You may wish to explain gaps in work/study in your resume, explain your work sample, expound upon your vocational goals, give another example of your leadership gifts, etc.
Supporting Documents:
You must submit the following information along with your application
- Current Resume or CV
- Vocational Goal Statement: The vocational goal statement is a short summary of the applicant’s vocational goals. It should explain what the applicant’s degree program will enable him or her to accomplish.
- Affirmation of the Lausanne Covenant: The Lausanne Covenant must be affirmed. Affirmations with qualifications to the Covenant are accepted.
- School and Degree Program Information, Recommendation Letters: Four recommendation letters are required. The letters must come from the applicant’s
- Current Local Church
- Academic Advisor
- Academic or Professional Field
- Other Spiritual Recommender
- GRE, LSAT, GMAT or other test scores are required for those applicants who have not yet been admitted to their intended degree program.
- Official transcripts from undergraduate and graduate programs through the most recent semester are required.
- The work sample may be a significant piece of academic work (research paper or excerpt, conference presentation, published work, scientific research proposal, recital tape, artwork, etc).
Financial Aid and Award Money:
- Each individual selected for the Harvey Fellowship is awarded an initial stipend of $16,000.
- Fellows are free to use their stipends for legitimate educational expenses which further their vocational goals including tuition, living expenses, research tools or travel, studio space, professional conferences, and interview travel.
- Stipends may be renewed for up to two additional years. Funding may be provided for a total of two years for most master’s programs and a total of three years for law and doctoral programs.
Application Deadline:
Scholarship applications must be received by November 1, 2017.
Link for More Information:
