PHCC Educational Foundation

Scholarship Program

Scholarships Header

2026 Scholarship Application Season is Open

Scholarship process diagram graphicPart of the PHCC Educational Foundation’s mission is help ease the path into the trades for qualified workers who need help getting started. Each year we combine our resources with sponsorships from our industry partners to deliver impactful financial assistance to students pursuing a career in the p-h-c industry.

Contractors, be sure to have your apprentices apply! Even if your company pays for apprenticeship training, a scholarship win will help offset your training costs and build a sense of accomplishment for the apprentice who wins. Please limit applications to a max of four per company and tap your best set of apprentices to send in their applications.

Our scholarship application period runs from January until May 1st, when all submission materials are due. Applications are reviewed by a committee of contractors over the summer and winners are selected in late July. All applicants will be notified of their status in August.

Thumbnail of YouTube Trade Traction Podcast Scholarship episode

 

 

View this episode of the Trade Traction podcast to learn more about the scholarship program and tips on how applicants can improve their odds of receiving a scholarship.

 

 

Plumbing and HVAC Apprentices & Trade School Students
College Students Enrolled in Majors Directly Related to the Trades

APPLY HERE FOR A 2026 SCHOLARSHIP
Applications and all supporting materials will be due May 1, 2026.

To apply, apprentices/technicians working for PHCC members need to:
– Complete the online application form.
– Upload a letter of recommendation from their employer – the PHCC contractor business owner or their manager. The PHCC member can use these SAMPLE RECOMMENDATION LETTERS to save time.
– Answer these 5 questions about their background and interests.
– Optional – Upload grades and a letter of recommendation from their apprentice program instructor.

Requirements differ for trade school and college applicants – please see the video below or the application for details.

Questions? E-mail us at scholarships@naphcc.org.

Please watch this video for an overview of the eligibility requirements.

YouTube Thumbnail image for Scholarship Info Video

Scholarship submission materials summary

Our awards target plumbing and HVAC apprentices & trade school students, plus college students pursuing studies directly related to the plumbing-heating-cooling industry.

Hit the button below to see who won our 2025 scholarships and read their thank you notes to the donors & sponsors who made their awards possible.
2025 Scholarship Winners

For 2026, we plan to award 70+ scholarships, thanks to the Foundation’s donors and generous support from these sponsors:

  • A.O. Smith
  • Bradford White
  • Delta Faucet Company
  • Ferguson Cares Foundation, HOLA Business Resource Group
  • Home Depot PRO
  • HomeServe
  • InSinkErator
  • RIDGID
  • Scorpion Home Services Marketing
  • Sterling, a Kohler Brand
  • State Water Heaters
  • Additional awards are sponsored by Bill Jones, Gerry Kennedy, the Gil Meyerowitz estate, PHCC of Massachusetts Auxiliary, and the PHCC Past National Officers

 

Open to applicants who are legal United States residents (citizens, green card holders, etc.). Applicants must be currently enrolled in or plan to enroll in:
  • A PHCC-approved plumbing or HVACR apprentice program or the Foundation’s Fast Track to Service & Repair online courses. Apprentices or technicians must also be working full-time for a licensed plumbing or HVAC contractor who is a member of the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors-National Association. Approved courses of study are plumbing or HVACR installation, service and repair. Check to see if your employer is a member of PHCC here.
  • A full-time certificate or degree program at an accredited two-year community college, technical college, or trade school, with a major directly related to the plumbing-heating-cooling (p-h-c) profession. Approved majors are: business management; mechanical CAD design; construction management with a specialty in mechanical construction; and plumbing or HVACR installation, service and repair.
  • A full-time undergraduate degree program at an accredited four-year college or university, with a major directly related to the plumbing-heating-cooling (p-h-c) profession. Approved majors are: business management; construction management with a specialization in mechanical construction; and mechanical engineering.
  • A maximum of four employees from any one employer may win an award in any given year.

Also open to Canadian citizen apprentices enrolled in a PHCC-approved plumbing or HVACR apprentice program. Canadian applicants must also be working full-time for a licensed plumbing or HVAC contractor who is a member of the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors-National Association. Approved courses of study are plumbing or HVACR installation, service and repair.

 

Notes:

  1. Scholarships awarded through the PHCC Educational Foundation are designed to assist students who plan to major in a field of study directly related to the p-h-c industry. If an applicant plans to pursue a course of study in one of the approved major areas listed above, but the trade school, college or university uses a different name for their particular program, the applicant should submit official documentation from their school that describes the major and course of study.
  2. To be considered a full-time student, applicants must be enrolled in at least 12 semester hours of credit or the minimum number of credits required by the applicant’s institution to qualify for full-time student status, whichever is greater.
  3. To be eligible for the PHCC of Massachusetts Auxiliary award, applicants must attend/plan to attend a 4-year college and be be a resident of Massachusetts. The PHCC of Massachusetts Auxiliary scholarship award has no restrictions on course of study.

Additional program rules apply.

On the scholarship form, applicants will be asked to provide detailed responses to 5 background and experience questions. Applicants can use the blanks in the application form, OR download & complete this PHCC Scholarship Essay Answers Form (Word document) then upload it using the upload tool in the application platform.

The expectation is that applicants will provide 3-4 sentence answers minimum per question. Applicants are asking our donors to give them potentially thousands of dollars – they expect applicants to earn those funds with thoughtful and complete answers to these questions. The answers to these questions are what make the most impact on receiving a scholarship or not. Applicants are strongly encouraged to take the time to prepare their answers like they would take the time to prepare for an important test.

Tip – Applicants can use voice-to-text on their computer or phone to talk out answers if that is easier than typing. Remember to do a proofreading and grammar check before uploading answers.

The apprentices and students applying for scholarships from the PHCC Educational Foundation must collect letters of recommendation to complete their application. The application form allows applicants to upload a letter of recommendation.

Contractor and Instructor Recommendation Letter Templates
Want to provide your applicant with a letter of recommendation? Download some example letters from here and add details about your applicant. Please DO NOT use the exact same letter for multiple employees/students with just the names changed. This will hurt your applicants’ scores and their ability to receive an award.

Who Can Provide a Letter of Recommendation (L.O.R.)?
– PHCC Members: Your company must be a contractor business member of the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors—National Association. Please write the L.O.R. on company letterhead and be sure to sign it. The letter of recommendation cannot be from the scholarship applicant’s parent or guardian. For apprentice applicants, ideally the L.O.R. would be from the applicant’s direct supervisor or the business owner. Members of the PHCC Association Executives Council are also eligible to provide a L.O.R. for an applicant.

– Academic Advisor/Counselor/Instructor: To provide an academic L.O.R., you must be the applicant’s teacher, instructor, principal, guidance counselor, academic advisor, etc. In the case of an apprentice or tech taking online training through the PHCC Academy, the person providing the applicant with their hands-on training can provide this L.O.R.

If you require assistance, or have questions about qualifications, application details, or the scholarship program? Contact us at scholarships@naphcc.org.

The application and all required materials must be submitted online no later than May 1st each year. Applications are reviewed over the summer and winners are selected in late July. All applicants are notified of their status by mid-August.

Other Industry Scholarships Available

Many scholarships are available from other industry groups. Please explore their programs to see if you could benefit from their awards too!

The PHCC National Auxiliary awards scholarships each year to students with a connection to the PHCC association.
Learn More & Apply

The Rees Scholarship Foundation awards scholarships to qualified HVACR students. Learn More
Learn More & Apply

 

2026 Scholarship Program Corporate Sponsors