Scholarships That Empower Facility Management Careers

Scholarships

IFMA Denver is proud to support our members’ growth through scholarships that make education and credentials more accessible.

Certification Scholarships

The Denver Chapter of IFMA’s Education Scholarship Committee offers limited scholarship opportunities to Chapter members for local instructor-led courses in 2026.

• Recipients of a scholarship will receive financial assistance towards programs, TBA.
  

The Chapter’s scholarship can be applied to any of the programs. The scholarship cannot be applied towards the fees for the CFM Exam itself. The “need based” criteria for the scholarship is defined as those who do not receive any financial assistance from an employer or a member who is faced with a hardship, such as unemployment.

A link to the application for the scholarship is located on the front page of the Denver Chapter of IFMA website in the Education section on the main menu. All applicants must apply through the website.

World Workplace Scholarship

IFMA Denver proudly supports members who wish to attend IFMA’s World Workplace conference. Scholarships may include travel, lodging, or registration fees.

Testimonials

By Jessica Richardson, CFM, SFP, FMP

The IFMA Denver Chapter was proud to support Jessica Richardson, CFM, SFP, FMP—Senior Facility Manager, Department of Facilities at Metropolitan State University of Denver, as a World Workplace Scholarship recipient this year. Below is Jessica’s firsthand recap of her experience at World Workplace, the premier annual event for the facility management profession.

As with all World Workplace experiences, this year in Minneapolis didn’t disappoint, with a fun-filled time of networking and educational opportunities. Kicking it all off was an inspirational opening keynote from Daymond John. His dynamic, funny delivery underscored the importance of defining goals to map out personal success.

After spending a few hours roaming the Expo, next on the docket was the Welcome Reception held in the Vikings’ stadium. After some half-size hot dogs, it was time for games on the field, where I failed spectacularly at kicking a field goal. Luckily, no one got that on camera… unlike the photographic evidence of Newman and Vimol racing each other through the bouncy maze. Look that up for a quick laugh; it’s guaranteed to be entertaining.

Bright and early the next morning was all about neuroscience, followed by one of my favorite panels of the conference, Women in FM. Our very own chapter happy hour rounded out the second day, bringing in some new friends.

The grand highlight of it all was Friday’s Awards of Excellence luncheon, which brought a humor-filled ending to the conference. One member is now memorialized in a video, to which he shall forever be known as Garth Brooks. May that moniker be long-lived. A special shout-out to our amazing chapter award winners honored at the lunch.

Hoping to see many more familiar faces at next year’s conference in sunny Anaheim!

Other Testimonials-

"I would like to thank you and the chapter for the scholarship to attend World Work Place 2022 in Nashville Tennessee. This was a true honor to be a part of the World IFMA experience. I have met people from all over the world as well as local Denver IFMA members that I did not know, while in attendance. The opportunities that were available were more than ever imagined. Had opportunity to do Scavenger hunt and out of thousands of entries my name was pulled from the Unicorn Company and I won $500.00 in Visa cards but the WWP event was absolutely priceless even if I had not won the drawing I consider myself richer person for going to WWP. The opening speaker Phil Nosworthy has truly changed my perspective not only professionally but personally and have already implemented his ideas into my life. IFMA Denver’s Scholarship has truly changed my future, allowed me to network with amazing IFMA members and relationships to last a life time. Our Denver members always kept me included and that connection was truly humbling. THANK YOU and THANK YOU for the Scholarship in 2022."

"I wanted to express my appreciation for selecting me as a scholarship recipient for the 2023 World of Workplace conference. This experience was not only enriching but also eye-opening, as it allowed me to learn, connect, and gain further understanding of the global influence that Facility Managers have. I truly appreciate your support and the opportunity to attend WWP.
Looking forward to joining you all next year in San Antonio. 🤠"  - Deven Cammack, CFM

Patricia J. Harris Memorial Scholorship 

The Denver Chapter of IFMA provides an annual scholarship award in the name of an outstanding past member, Patricia J. Harris, IFMA Fellow, CFM.

Each year, a student who is pursuing a degree in facility management or any related career field may apply for the scholarship.

Who was Patricia J. Harris, IFMA Fellow, CFM?

The Denver Chapter of IFMA has been fortunate to have members passionate about the facility management profession. Patricia J. Harris (Pat) was a valuable IFMA member that is recognized for her dedication to the facility management profession and her strong desire to encourage and “coach” everyone in the profession. Pat was a champion for education and supporting the many efforts of the IFMA Foundation. Her vision was to encourage as many FM professionals as possible to obtain their credentials, and to impact the future of facility management by supporting college programs to develop the future of the industry.

Pat retired from Anthem/Blue Cross Blue Shield in the fall of 2006. In her professional facility management career, Pat also worked for StorageTek, Minscribe, Cadnetics, NCAR, ICG, and @Link.

Pat first joined IFMA in 1983, when the Denver Chapter of IFMA was still forming! After a layoff, she rejoined in 1987. Pat served as the chapter’s Treasurer twice, the Chair of the Education Committee, where she launched the CFM Exam Workshops, and a member of the Membership and EXPO Committees. She was also the Chair of the Newsletter and wrote the “Management Maneuvers” column for 18 years! Pat was always willing to raise her hand to help the chapter in many other ways too – from special task forces to making membership calls.

In addition to her serving the Denver Chapter of IFMA, Pat was active in the public sector Council and held several positions including President the year, the Council received the “Council of the Year” award. Pat obtained her CFM designation and in 2003, received her IFMA Fellow designation, IFMA’s most prestigious designation.

Upon her retirement, Pat said the thing that meant the most to her as an IFMA member was the way other IFMA members were “unbelievably helpful to me and I so appreciated their help that I committed myself to always do that for other new members.” Those of us who had the privilege of interacting with Pat can attest to the fact that she followed through on that commitment!

Pat died on July 18, 2007, from her long-time battle with Scleroderma, an autoimmune disease. Initially, the Patricia J. Harris Memorial Scholarship was an internal chapter scholarship available for chapter members pursuing any of the facility's credentials. In, 2012 the chapter decided to offer the scholarship through the IFMA Foundation in honor of her passion for advancing the facility management profession. The chapter still offers internal scholarships for members pursuing any of the FM credentials under its Education Committee.

Applications for the Patricia J. Harris Memorial Scholarship 

Today her legacy lives on, annually the Denver Chapter of IFMA awards a deserving student a $5,000 scholarship through the IFMA Foundation’s award program. Applications for applying for scholarships are now available on the IFMA Foundation website at https://foundation.ifma.org/students/scholarships/ for students and IFMA members who are pursuing a degree in facility management or any related career fields. The IFMA Foundation is the governing body that manages the application process. Applications are reviewed by a panel of judges which selects the finalists to receive the numerous scholarship awards. After the finalists are selected, all the scholarships sponsors get to select the recipient of their scholarship. Priority is based on the amount of the scholarship. The sponsors of the high-valued scholarships get to select their recipients first. From there the process continues until all recipients are selected. All scholarship recipients will receive the scholarship at the annual IFMA World Workplace Expo and Conference.

The Patricia J. Harris Scholarship: Supporting the Next Generation of FMs 

Each fall, the Denver Chapter of IFMA will once again award the Patricia J. Harris Memorial Scholarship to a student member pursuing a degree in facility management or a related career field. This allows the Chapter to direct where the funds are utilized. That was directed straight to the first Patricia J. Harris Memorial Scholarship recipient. Since 2012, the Denver Chapter of IFMA has contributed $47,000 in scholarships to 9 recipients. Also, it has contributed more than $29,500 since 2012 in covering the recipients’ costs to attend World Workplace to receive their scholarship in person. Here are the names of the recipients: