Scholarships

KACM offers multiple scholarship opportunities for individuals interested in city/county management as a future career or those currently working in local government in Kansas with aspirations to become a city/county management professional.  These scholarships support those who might be pursuing graduate level academic programs and those who are pursuing professional development opportunities.  The goal of these programs is to continue to build and strengthen the local governement management pipeline in Kansas.  Announcements for these opportunities and calls for nominations are announced annually via the KACM listserv throughout the year.

The Virgil Basgall Scholarship in the amount of $3,000 and two KACM Scholarships in the amount of $2,000 each are for eligible and enrolled students pursuing graduate degrees in Public Administration from a Kansas college or university.  Nominations for these scholarships typically are provided by the graduate schools for current students in their respective programs.  The Virgil Basgall and KACM Scholarships are presented every year at the KCCM Conference at KU that is held in the Spring. 

Rising Star Scholarships are for current employees of local governments upon the recommendation of an active KACM member and with the recognition of that individual being someone with potential to advance into a management or leadership role in the future.  These scholarships are to facilitate these individuals to pursue professional development opportunities, such as the Heartland CPM Program at KU or the MiniMPA Program at WSU, to build and advance their skills as well as their potential to postively contribute to the future of local government management.  These scholarships are typically in the amount of $1,000, but the amount can vary depending on the number of applicants in any given year.  Awardees do not have to be KACM members, but applications must have the support and recommendation of a current KACM member.  Rising Star Scholarships are presented every year at the City/County Management Summit at WSU that is held in the Summer.

KACM has partnered with the Kansas Municipal Energy Agency (KMEA) and Kansas Municipal Utilities (KMU) to offer additional Rising Star Scholarships for 2025-2027.  These Rising Star scholarships have some additional guidelines which will be posted and available when the call for nominations for Rising Star Scholarship applications are sent out.  Questions regarding these opportunities can always be directed to the KACM Awards Committee Chair or the KACM Board.