Open · closes in 3 days · Membership required
Whirly-Girls International
$6,000 – $20,000
28+ awards per season (~$560,000)
National · Women
Open to women who are current Whirly-Girl or Associate members, pursuing or advancing helicopter ratings from initial certificate through ATP, plus type ratings and safety courses. Membership required; each award has its own requirements.
Cash flight-training awards for the 2027 season run $6,000 to $20,000 (Edward M. Thurn Memorial $20,000; Memorial Flight Training $10,000; Bristow initial $7,500; Lora Trout $6,000). Many additional awards are in-kind type-rating, instrument, maintenance, and safety courses at named facilities, and the PHI APAC awards are AUD $10,000 for Australian applicants. Mid-year awards carry a $25 application fee.
Open · closes in 11 days
International Society of Women Airline Pilots (ISA+21)
$5,000 – $10,000
4 award types, 12+ awards per year (~$50,000+)
National · Adults · Women
Open to women pursuing an airline career. Awards fund advanced flight ratings (CFI, CFII, MEI) and airline type ratings; requirements vary by award, from an FAA Commercial certificate for the Financial Scholarship up to an ATP with 2,500 hours for the Type Rating.
Financial Scholarships $5,000 (advanced ratings: CFI, CFII, MEI) and Type Rating Scholarships $10,000 (B737/A320); 12 scholarships worth over $50,000 awarded in the 2025 cycle across all award types.
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Open · closes in 11 days
International Society of Women Airline Pilots (ISA+21)
$10,000
2 awards per year
National · Adults · Women
Open to women with an ATP (or ICAO equivalent), at least 2,500 hours total time including 500 hours multi-engine turbine, a current first-class medical, and a career goal of airline flying.
Two awards a year, each a $10,000 B737 or A320 type rating; training completed with Flight Training International in Miami, Dallas, or Denver.
Open · closes in 11 days
International Society of Women Airline Pilots (ISA+21)
$5,000
2+ awards per year
National · Adults · Women
Open to women enrolled in an advanced flight training program (or who have completed ab-initio training), holding an FAA Commercial certificate (or equivalent) and a first-class medical, and pursuing an airline career.
A minimum of two $5,000 awards a year toward an advanced flight training program (CFI, CFII, MEI).
Open · closes in 59 days
Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)
Amount varies
National · Women
Open to women who are US citizens, at least 17 years old, and pursuing a sport pilot certificate, private pilot certificate, or additional ratings. Candidates who actively participate in aviation community activities and events are given preference. EAA chapter members are prioritized during selection, though membership is not a hard requirement.
No individual award amount published; part of EAA Aviation Foundation pool that distributed over $487,000 across 71 students in the 2025-2026 cycle
After the awardWhat one scholarship leaves you to fund
- Median awardAcross this directory
- $8,500
- Private certificatePilotBound national estimate
- − $18,025
- Left to fund
- $9,500
All six lenders in our comparison lend this much. Whatever an award does not cover, you fund some other way.
Open · closes in 70 days · Membership required
AOPA Foundation
$250 – $14,000
32 named awards, including at least 90 at $12,000 for high school students; one application is matched to every award you qualify for
National · Women
Open to current AOPA members who are residents of the U.S., D.C., Canada, Guam, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands, pursuing sport, private, instrument, commercial, or other aviation training; dedicated awards exist for high school students, women, teachers using AOPA curriculum, and corporate aviation employees.
Individual awards range from $250 to $14,000 across many named scholarships; high school students and teachers have dedicated pools of awards at $12,000 each.
Open · closes in 71 days
American Flyers
Amount varies
Awarded twice a year
National · Adults · Women
Open to U.S.-citizen women pursuing CFI-A and CFI-I ratings who already hold a private certificate, an instrument rating, and a single-engine commercial certificate (or ATP), plus a first- or second-class medical, a 3.0+ GPA, the CFI, FOI, and CFII writtens, and a spin endorsement. Requires three recommendation letters and a commitment to the 30-day academy at an American Flyers school. Employees of American Flyers are not eligible.
Awarded as funded CFI academy training at American Flyers rather than cash: 104 hours of classroom instruction, 10 hours of individual ground instruction, 14 hours dual in a Cessna 172 or 172RG, 6 hours dual simulator, and unlimited solo simulator time. Written and flight test fees, housing, travel, and living expenses are not included.
Open · closes in 72 days · Membership required
The Ninety-Nines
Up to $20,000
~20 awards across multiple scholarship types per annual cycle; one application covers all types
National · Women
Applicants must be women who have been continuous paid members of The Ninety-Nines for at least one full year as of January 1, must have a specific and realistic goal for advancement in aviation or aerospace, and must demonstrate financial need for most scholarship types. The membership length requirement is waived for the Vicki Cruse and Kitty Houghton sub-scholarships.
Varies by scholarship type; flight training awards up to $20,000; academic awards up to $10,000 renewable; approximately 20 total awards per annual cycle
Open · closes in 162 days
The Ninety-Nines
Up to $6,000
Semiannual award; two cycles per year
National · Women
Open to women student pilots who have been Ninety-Nines Student Pilot Members for at least three months before the application deadline, have logged at least five flight hours in the six months prior to applying, and can demonstrate financial need. Targets completion of the private, sport, or recreational pilot certificate.
Up to $6,000 per award cycle, disbursed incrementally as specific training milestones are completed
Opens Jun 30, 2027 · Membership required
Grand Dames of Aviation
$1,500 – $2,000
4 awards per annual cycle, one application window
National · Women
All four awards are for women. The ProAvi Pilot and ProAvi STEM scholarships ($2,000 each) are for women 18 and older pursuing careers as professional pilots or in aviation and aerospace STEM fields. The Wings of Change scholarships ($1,500 each) recognize a passion for aviation and volunteer service, with a Junior award for ages 14 to 22 and a Senior award for ages 23 and up. The Aspiring Dames membership, open to women 18 and up at any career stage, is pay what you can (suggested $20/year) and waives the non-member application fee of $15 to $20.
Two ProAvi awards at $2,000 each and two Wings of Change awards at $1,500 each
Applications accepted June 30 to August 31 each year
Check dates · Membership required
Women in Aviation International
$250 – $10,000
80+ awards per cycle, members may apply to up to three (separate applications)
National · Women
Open to WAI members of any age, gender, or background. New members must join by August 30, 2026; current members need a membership expiration of March 30, 2027 or later. Members may apply for up to three scholarships per cycle, but each one is a separate application. Offerings span private pilot, instrument, commercial, CFI and multi-engine training, plus aerospace engineering, maintenance, aviation management, drone and helicopter paths.
Flight training awards run $250 to $10,000 in cash; the largest are the ISA+21 airline type rating and the two Wings for Val Foundation awards at $10,000 each. WAI publishes more than 80 scholarships worth over $400,000 per cycle across all categories, including engineering, maintenance, dispatch and UAS awards that go higher.
The 2027 cycle closed September 1, 2026 (11:59 p.m. ET); 2027 winners are notified by December 15, 2026 and the awards are presented at the 38th Annual WAI Conference in Savannah, Georgia on February 26, 2027. WAI2028 applications open in summer 2027; exact dates are not yet published.
Check dates · Membership required
Women Military Aviators
$3,000
2 awards per cycle at $3,000 each
National · Women
Open to women pursuing any flight rating at an accredited institution or FAA-approved Part 141 or Part 61 flight school in the United States. Applicants must hold a current paid Women in Aviation International (WAI) membership to apply, name the school where the training will happen, and address their interest in military aviation and their financial need.
Training must be completed within one year of the award.
The 2027 cycle closed September 1, 2026; applied through the Women in Aviation International (WAI) scholarship portal. WAI2028 applications open in summer 2027; exact dates are not yet published.
Check dates · Membership required
Women in Aviation Tampa Bay Chapter
$2,500
2 flight-training awards + 1 written-exam reimbursement per cycle
Tampa Bay, FL · Adults · Women
Open to women who are active members of both the Women in Aviation Tampa Bay chapter and Women in Aviation International, are at least 18 years old, and are actively pursuing flight training. Two $2,500 flight-training awards are paid directly to the recipient's flight school; a separate award reimburses up to $175 in written (knowledge) exam fees. Members are encouraged to apply to both. Applications go through the Tampa Bay chapter directly, not the national WAI scholarship portal.
Two $2,500 flight-training scholarships paid directly to the winner's flight school, plus one written (knowledge) exam fee reimbursement of up to $175.
Funded annually through chapter fundraising, with dates set each cycle; the 2026 cycle (July 1 to August 16) has closed and 2027 dates are not yet posted.
Check dates
The Aero Club of New England
$1,000 – $10,000
18+ named awards across primary, instrument, and advanced tracks; one application
New England · Adults · Women
Open to U.S. citizens or permanent residents who reside in a New England state, are at least 16 years old, hold current airman and medical certificates (except for initial primary training), and intend to pursue a professional aviation career. Primary applicants need roughly 10 hours plus solo, while instrument and advanced applicants need about 100 hours. Several named awards are reserved for women. Funds must be used within one year at a New England flight school.
Individual awards range from $1,000 to $10,000 across primary, instrument, and advanced tracks. The largest are the Anne Bridge Baddour Advanced Scholarship for Women ($10,000) and the Hampson Family primary scholarship for Women ($5,000).
Annual awards for training at New England flight schools; the club does not post fixed open and close dates on its awards page, so dates are cleared pending publication.
Check dates
Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)
Amount varies
1 award per year
National · Youth 16-18 · Women
Open to women aged 16 to 19 who are active in high school, formally take part in at least one high school sport, and are committed to an aviation-oriented college degree such as professional flight, aviation management, maintenance or aeronautical engineering. Applicants name this award on their local EAA chapter's Ray Aviation Scholarship application.
Funded as a Ray Aviation Scholarship toward a Private Pilot certificate, with up to $5,000 more for instrument training when it is completed at Cub Air Flight in Hartford, Wisconsin.
Applied for through a local EAA chapter's Ray Aviation Scholarship application; chapters submit their candidate by March 31 each year.
Check dates
Hewison Aviation Flight Training Scholarship Fund
Amount varies
New York · Youth 16-18 · Women · Minority
Open to female, minority, or economically disadvantaged high school students and recent graduates over 16 who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, intend to study a technical field, can obtain an FAA second class medical, and can train with Hewison Aviation at Griffiss International, Saratoga County or South Albany airports in upstate New York. Applicants are ranked on grades, an essay, recommendations, an interview and financial need; economically disadvantaged means a household income under the New York State Department of Health federal income guidelines.
No dollar figure is published; the fund pays for flight training with Hewison Aviation.
No published deadline; applications go in through the fund's web supplement, then a signed copy is mailed with the supporting documents.
Closed · reopens next cycle
Sisters of the Skies
$2,500 – $15,000
Multiple awards per year across several named programs, each with a separate application.
National · Women · Minority
Applicants must be women of color pursuing professional pilot careers, from initial flight training through advanced ratings such as commercial and multi-engine. Specific awards have additional requirements (e.g., the Goetz/Holen award targets multi-engine or commercial candidates; the Rashanda Nicole Lee Memorial targets African-American women).
Individual grants range from $2,500 to $15,000 depending on the specific award; multiple scholarships offered each year at different amounts.
Fall cycle opens Oct 1 and closes Oct 15 each year; additional awards (Goetz/Holen multi-engine commercial, summer scholarship, United Aviate partnership) open and close on separate schedules throughout the year.
