Schwab creates scholarship for underrepresented CFPs

The CFP Board Center for Financial Planning and Schwab Advisor Services and the Charles Schwab Foundation have launched a scholarship to assist individuals pursuing CFP certification in underrepresented populations in the profession.

The scholarship will be known as The Charles Schwab Foundation CFP Certification Scholarship. The launch of the scholarship follows the Schwab Advisor Services and the Charles Schwab Foundation’s expansion of their founding sponsorship of the CFP Board Center for Financial Planning via a four-year grant, announced in June, the CFP Board said in a press release Thursday,

The new scholarship will award up to 16 awards per year, with up to $10,000 to be awarded per student seeking to complete an undergraduate-level CFP Board-registered program, or up to $5,000 per student seeking to complete a certificate-level program. At least 50% of the award recipients will be from an underrepresented population within the financial planning profession in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or veteran status, and/or must have a demonstrated financial need.

The deadline to apply for a scholarship award is Sept. 30.

In its efforts to expand the financial planning talent pipeline and diversify the profession, the CFP Board recently partnered with several other firms to offer scholarships. Wealthspire Advisors partnered with the CFP Board to offer a scholarship that will provide four awards per year of up to $5,000 per student. Mission Wealth Management and the CFP Board announced a similar scholarship program, Mission Wealth Scholars, for students pursuing their CFP certifications.

Additionally, the CFP Board Center for Financial Planning said it had created the LeCount R. Davis CFP Scholarship, a $5,000 award to help Black and African American students seeking to complete an undergraduate-level or certificate-level CFP program.