Open · closes tomorrowMembership 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
Open · closes in 2 daysMembership 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.
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Open · closes in 2 daysMembership 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.
Open · closes in 32 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
Open · closes in 63 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.
After the awardWhat one scholarship leaves you to fund
- Median awardAcross this directory
- $10,000
- Private certificatePilotBound national estimate
- − $18,257
- Left to fund
- $8,300
All six lenders in our comparison lend this much. Whatever an award does not cover, you fund some other way.
Open · closes in 63 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 63 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 123 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 124 daysMembership 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
Opens Oct 1Membership required
AOPA Foundation
$250 – $14,000
Large umbrella program with hundreds of named awards per year; one application covers all eligible scholarships.
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.
Spring cycle Apr 1 to Jun 30, Fall cycle Oct 1 to Dec 31 each year
Opens Oct 1
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.
Opens Oct 1
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
Opens Oct 1, closes Dec 19 each year; winners notified on or around Mar 2
Check datesMembership required
Whirly-Girls International
$3,700 – $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.
28 scholarships worth over $560,000 in the 2026 season. Cash flight-training awards run about $3,700 to $20,000 (Edward M. Thurn Memorial $20,000; Initial/Add-On and Memorial $8,000 each; Bristow $7,500; Lora Trout $6,000); many additional awards are in-kind type-rating, maintenance, and safety courses. Mid-year awards carry a $25 application fee.
Main season opens in August each year (a separate mid-year cycle is open through July 31, 2026). Exact main-season open and close dates are published when the August listing posts; confirm then.
Closed · reopens next cycleMembership 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.
2026 cycle: opens July 1, closes August 16, winners announced September 1. Funded annually through chapter fundraising; dates are set each cycle.
