Application Open: Year-Round.
Submissions Reviewed: April, September
Award Notification: Early April and Mid September
Funds Available: Applicants can apply for any amount up to $1,000 each
Thank you to our 2024/2025 Scholarship Sponsors and Allied Trade Member: Craft Beer & Brewing
About: The MN Craft Brewers Guild is proud to offer all staff of any member brewery, brewpub, or brewery-in-planning support for your professional development and training through our Professional Development Scholarships. In 2024, we awarded $6,000 to 11 industry staff from 9 breweries and brewpubs.
These scholarships support staff seeking continuing education, training, certification, etc. Recipients will be selected anonymously, based on need, by members of the Guild's EDU Committee. Scholarships will be awarded as a reimbursement check for program expenses; receipt of purchase will be required.
Qualifying Programs and Expenses: Any industry-related education and training programs qualify. Scholarship may be used for most expenses incurred to participate in professional development, including registration, tuition, books and supplies, travel and lodging, childcare, etc.
Examples of Past Programs Supported by this Scholarship:
- MBAA Brewery Maintenance Course
- OSU Beer Quality & Analysis Series
- Festival and Event Management Online Course
- Online Classes through NotYourHobbyMarketing.com
- Craft Brewers Conference 2023 Registration and Travel
- Cicerone Program Level 2
- Hop & Brew School
- Digital Marketing Bootcamp
- Micromatic Advanced Training
If there are professional development opportunities (like attending a hop harvest, traveling to brew in another state, books for a class, etc.) that you aren't sure fit our criterea, we encourage you to still apply!
Scholarship Timing: Scholarships will be awarded twice a year; once in the spring and once in the fall. Applications may be submitted at any time. If you apply before the spring deadline and are not awarded a scholarship in that round, your application will still be considered for the fall scholarship round. Applications will only be considered for the year they are submitted.
Scholarship Details: Scholarships will be awarded in the form of a reimbursement for registration or expenses related to a particular training or program. The MNCBG EDU Committee and MNCBG staff will award the scholarships blind. Recipients will be selected based on need and on our goal of supporting a variety of MN craft breweries and brewpubs.
Eligibility: Any staff (FT or PT) employed at an MNCBG member brewery, brewpub, or brewery-in-planning is encouraged to apply. Scholarships will only be awarded to applicants that list a specific program/plan for their scholarship, and funds must be used for that program only. The Guild highly encourages staff who are underrepresented in the MN craft beer industry to apply for our scholarships. Individuals may only receive one scholarship per year.
Owners/operators can also apply for these scholarships to provide continuing ed training for their staff, but preference will be given to individuals applying for themselves. If applying for staff, please indicate how many staff will receive training through the program.
Reimbursement Process: Recipients will be notified in early April and mid September. To claim the reimbursement, the individual or business will need to show a receipt of enrollment; reimbursement will be paid by check.
Other MNCBG Scholarships: The MNCBG offers numerous scholarships to members for professional development, CBC attendance, discount on membership dues, and for those enrolled in a Beer and Brewing program at DCTC. See all details on our Scholarship page.
If you have any questions, please email Jess Talley, Executive Director, at Jess@mncraftbrew.org.