Economic Development Scholarships

Introducing a New Generation to Economic Development in Tennessee

The Philip Trauernicht Annual Scholarship was created in memoriam of Philip Trauernicht. A native Tennessean, Philip spent 30 years dedicating his career to economic and community development in Tennessee. His service and dedication supported the creation of thousands of jobs and millions of dollars of investment across the state’s 95 counties. He worked closely with communities and industries to get much needed resources to rural and distressed areas of Tennessee.

He was known for his unwavering fairness, honesty, wry sense of humor and willingness to mentor, especially those new to economic development. Philip was a true servant of the people, and he is greatly missed by all who knew him.

Rural Communities, Unique Challenges

The Philip Trauernicht Memorial Scholarship for Rural Leaders enhances the development of rural leadership through scholarship support to the Tennessee Basic Economic Development Course (TBEDC). This scholarship provides full tuition to attend the annual TBEDC and up to four nights’ lodging during the course. The award value per scholarship is approximately $1,800. The recipient is required to pay a non-refundable $100 processing fee upon the acceptance of the reward.

Criteria for Award Selection

Preference is given to applicants who: 

• Are engaged in economic and community development in rural areas of Tennessee.
• Have limited resources to support professional development training and would be unable to attend the TBEDC without scholarship support.
• Are new to economic and community development and have less than five years of work experience in the profession.
• Demonstrate passion and commitment to applying knowledge gained from TBEDC to advance rural development in Tennessee.
• Are members of the Tennessee Economic Development Council (TEDC) or will commit to TEDC membership after completing TBEDC. (Note: TEDC provides a complimentary one-year membership for TBEDC graduates.) 

This scholarship is open to all applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, citizen, disability, age or veteran status.

A limited number of scholarships are available to course participants from Tennessee. The scholarship covers a portion of the early bird course tuition for a two-day course and does not include hotel, travel or meals. Scholarship recipients are required to pay $200 of the course fee, which is non-refundable if the participant withdraws from the course after accepting the award.

If applying for a scholarship, participants should register for the class to save a seat and choose the invoice option rather than pay by credit card. If a scholarship is not awarded, the participant may keep the seat or withdraw at the time of notification with no penalty. Scholarships are limited and non-transferable.

A limited number of scholarships are available to course participants from Tennessee. The scholarship covers a portion of the early bird course tuition for a two-day course and does not include hotel, travel or meals. Scholarship recipients are required to pay $100 of the course fee, which is non-refundable if the participant withdraws from the course after accepting the award.

If applying for a scholarship, participants should register for the class to save a seat and choose the invoice option rather than pay by credit card. If a scholarship is not awarded, the participant may keep the seat or withdraw at the time of notification with no penalty. Scholarships are limited and non-transferable.