Scholarships

Special District Leadership Foundation

SDLF offers a number of scholarships, designed to help special district elected/appointed officials and staff participate in the foundation’s programs and other educational offerings.

SDLA Scholarships

Special District Leadership Academy Scholarship

This scholarship is for registration fees for the Special District Leadership Academy Conference or Governance Foundations module and is open to elected/appointed special district board members. Returning attendees of the Special District Leadership Academy (must have previously completed all four modules of the SDLA).

Scholarship in honor of Dr. James Kohnen.

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CSDM Scholarships

Certified Special District Manager Scholarship

This scholarship is for registration fees for continuing education related to special district governance and operations for general managers and executive staff. Applicants must be currently pursuing their Certified Special District Manager(CSDM) designation. ​

Scholarship in honor of John Yeakley.

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Education Allowance Fund

Education Allowance Fund Scholarship

The goal of this fund is to provide special district staff and elected/appointed officials an opportunity to access new continuing education opportunities that promote professional development and encourage further involvement in SDLF’s programs (Certified Special District Manager, Certificate in Special District Governance, District of Distinction Accreditation and District Transparency Certificate of Excellence).

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Website Application

Special District Website Scholarship Funds Awarded


The goal of this fund is to provide scholarships to cover the cost of a special district website for 15 months and increase transparency and accountability among some of California’s smallest special districts.

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Emerging Leaders

Special District Emerging Leaders Scholarship Funds Awarded


This scholarship covers registration to the 2023 CSDA General Manager Leadership Summit for those currently in a supervisor position or with less than 5-years as a general manager.

A generous grant from Five Star Bank makes this program possible.


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