Scholarships

The Folk School awards a number of scholarships each year, providing partial or full financial support for a weeklong or weekend class.

Scholarship applications for 2024 and January – June 2025 classes are now closed. Applications for July – December 2025 scholarships will open soon.

The Folk School awards a number of scholarships each year, providing partial or full financial support for a weeklong or weekend class. Scholarships are awarded to folks who demonstrate financial need along with an admiration for the Folk School’s unique education model. Applications are dependent on space availability in the class. We have a limited amount of scholarship funding each year and encourage applicants to apply as early as possible.

Lifelong learners, young adults, craftspeople who have never attended the Folk School, and anyone else facing financial hurdles are encouraged to apply.

Tuition-only scholarships cover the cost of tuition for any full-price, weekend, or weeklong class. Full scholarships cover the cost of tuition, housing, and meals for any full-price, weekend, or weeklong class. Some of our scholarship funds require an applicant to meet set criteria, which will be listed below.

Once scholarship applications are submitted, they can take several weeks to be reviewed. We recommend selecting a class choice at least 6-8 weeks out from the time your finished application is submitted. The Folk School prioritizes first-time students in our scholarship application process.

Please be advised that although scholarships have the potential to cover tuition, housing, and meals, they do not cover class material fees or transportation to and from the Folk School. The Atlanta airport shuttle can be scheduled in advance through the Folk School for an estimated fee of $165 each way. Applicants must be age 18 or older.

The Folk School also offers a 25% tuition discount and guaranteed seats to residents of twelve surrounding counties, along with teachers, veterans, and young adults 18-25. Click here for more details.

Folk School-Funded Scholarships

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Folk School Tuition-Only Scholarships

Folk School Tuition-Only Scholarships provide financial support to those who need help covering the cost of tuition for any full-price, weekend or weeklong class at the Folk School.

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Folk School Full Scholarships

Folk School Full Scholarships cover the cost of tuition, housing, and meals for any full-price, weekend or weeklong class. Full scholarships are intended to support individuals who are actively involved in the preservation of traditional craft, music, and dance, use craft for philanthropic purposes, are studying or teaching craft, are working towards practicing craft on a professional or semi-professional level and/or live in the Appalachian region.

Grant-Funded Scholarships

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Craft Education Scholarships

Windgate Foundation has generously provided scholarships covering tuition, housing, and meals for classes in the following program areas: basketry and gourds; beads; blacksmithing; book arts; broom making; chair seats; clay; dolls & bears; dyeing; enameling; felt making; glass; jewelry; kaleidoscopes; knitting & crochet; lace; leather; marbling; metalwork; mixed media; needlework & thread art; paper art; printmaking; quilting; rugs; sewing; soap making; spinning; stone, sculpture & mosaics; surface design; weaving; woodcarving; woodturning; and woodworking.

Donor-Funded Scholarships

Thanks to generous donors funding individual scholarships and endowing perpetual scholarships, the following scholarships are currently available.
Scholarship balances change regularly, so check back periodically for new opportunities.
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Betty Smith Weaving Scholarship

This scholarship honors a great friend and supporter of the school who also contributed to its Weaving program for many years as a beloved instructor. It covers the cost of tuition, housing, and meals to attend a weeklong or weekend weaving class.

Constructing a mini clay pot

Blue Ridge Potters Guild Scholarships

Thanks to the Guild, residents of Virginia in need of financial assistance to participate in a clay class may apply for one of these two scholarships covering tuition, housing, and meals.

Photo by Robert of The Cory Brown Memorial Dye Garden.

Brown Family Scholarship

Generously donated by the beloved friends of the Folk School, Donna and Cliff Brown, this scholarship covers tuition, housing, and meals for a weeklong or weekend class.

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Cait Pomeroy Cooking Scholarship

Established by David Pomeroy in loving memory of Cait Pomeroy, his wife of 53 years, to honor her love for the Folk School and passion for cooking. This scholarship covers the cost of tuition, housing and meals for a weeklong or weekend cooking class.

Viking Style Ironwork

Clay Smith Blacksmithing Scholarship

This scholarship memorializes a friend of the school who made numerous contributions to its Blacksmithing program for many years as a talented instructor. It covers the cost of tuition, housing, and meals to attend a weeklong or weekend blacksmithing class.

david and carol smucker scholarship

David and Carol Smucker Craft Scholarship

This scholarship was created by long-time Folk School friends David and Carol Smucker. It provides craft education opportunities for students ages 18-34, especially those looking to build skills in their profession. It covers tuition, housing and meals for a weeklong or weekend class.

Violinist at work

David Kaynor Memorial Dance Musicians Week Scholarship

Provided by his many friends in memory of dance musician David Kaynor, this scholarship is dedicated to his passion for dance music and for life. It covers tuition for the school’s annual Dance Musicians Week for someone who would otherwise be unable to attend.

A floral punched needle rug hooking design

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Scholarship

Tuition, housing, and meals scholarship for a weekend class for Black, Indigenous, and artists of color, or a tuition scholarship for a weeklong class.

Holiday in the Mountains Week

Donna Brown Scholarship

This scholarship covers the cost of tuition, housing, and meals to attend a weeklong or weekend class for someone who would otherwise be unable to attend.

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Foundrae-Broken English Enameling Scholarship

Upon taking a weekend enameling class at the Folk School, Beth Bugdaycay, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Foundrae, and Laura Freedman, Founder of Broken English, were moved to donate 10 tuition scholarships for week-long enameling classes to promote this craft to others who may otherwise be unable to attend.

Francis Whitaker Blacksmithing Scholarship

Francis Whitaker Blacksmithing Scholarship

Created by Francis Whitaker, the master blacksmith who founded our blacksmithing program, this scholarship provides intermediate and advanced students with tuition, housing and meals for any weeklong or weekend blacksmithing class.

Carving a face

Helen Gibson Woodcarving Scholarship

This scholarship donated by Jean Fliess honors Helen Gibson, a talented Brasstown Carver and long-time Folk School Resident Artist. The scholarship covers the cost of tuition, housing, and meals to attend a weeklong or weekend woodcarving class.

Woodcarving

Jim and Janet Davis Woodcarving Scholarship

Created by Janet Davis in loving memory of her husband, Jim, to commemorate his passion for woodcarving and to foster others in the craft, this scholarship covers the cost of tuition, housing, and meals to attend a weeklong or weekend woodcarving class.

Carving a woodspirit walking stick

Jim Davis Woodcarving Scholarship

These woodcarving scholarships honor the memory of Jim Davis, who was a long-time supporter of the Folk School and a passionate woodcarver. They covers the cost of tuition, housing and meals to attend a weekend or weeklong woodcarving class.

Turning a bowl for the first time.

Jim Davis Woodturning Scholarship

This scholarship honors the memory of Jim Davis, who was a long-time supporter of the Folk School. It covers the cost of tuition, housing and meals to attend a weekend or weeklong woodturning class.

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Karen Redfern Woodturning Scholarship

This scholarship covers the cost of tuition, housing, and meals to attend a weekend woodturning class, or a tuition scholarship for a weeklong class.

A finished pine needle basket

Kathryn Byrd Memorial Scholarship

Kathryn Byrd generously provided for the Folk School’s future in her will and, in her memory, this scholarship provides people who would otherwise be unable to attend the opportunity to experience all that she loved about the school. It covers the cost of tuition, housing, and meals to attend a week or weekend class.

Book Arts Samples

Lucia Patrick Book Arts Scholarship

This scholarship covers the cost of tuition, housing and meals to attend a weeklong or weekend book arts class.

A vibrant rag rug in progress

Margaret C. Toth Weaving Scholarship

This weaving scholarship honors the memory of the late Margaret C. Toth, an avid weaver who first learned to weave at the Folk School. It covers the cost of tuition, housing and meals for a weekend or week-long class.

Viking Style Ironwork

Ray and Linda Barron Blacksmithing Scholarships

In support of the craft of blacksmithing and to provide educational opportunities to others, the Barrons have donated two scholarships covering the cost of tuition, housing, and meals for a weeklong blacksmithing class.

Students studying a branch of leaves

Rob Bixler/Wren Smith Interpretive Naturalist Scholarship

This scholarship benefits professional interpretive naturalists and environmental educators working at local/community nature centers in the US. It covers tuition, housing, and meals for any weeklong class.

Hammering a copper piece

Robert J. Trout Metalsmith Scholarship

Robert Trout, a talented metalsmith and long-time Folk School instructor, created this scholarship to give others the opportunity to learn metalsmithing at the Folk School. Following his death in 2020, his family and other loved ones contributed in his memory to bring the scholarship fund to fruition. This scholarship covers the cost of tuition, housing, and meals to attend a weeklong or weekend blacksmithing, coppersmithing, or tinsmithing class.

Making an Appalachian Broom

Rude Osolnik’s Kentucky/Berea Co-Op Scholarship

Created by master woodturner and generous friend of the Folk School, Rude Osolnik, this scholarship is available to residents of Kentucky and/or students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Berea College. It covers the cost of tuition, housing, and meals for any weeklong or weekend class.

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The Artz Family Trust Enameling and Glass Scholarship

This scholarship covers the cost of tuition, housing, and meals to attend a weeklong enameling or glass class for someone who would otherwise be unable to attend.

Beautiful handmade pendant

The Artz Family Trust Jewelry Scholarship

This scholarship covers the cost of tuition to attend a weeklong jewelry class, or tuition, housing and meals for a weekend jewelry class for someone who would otherwise be unable to attend.

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The Artz Family Trust Metals Scholarship

This scholarship covers the cost of tuition, housing, and meals to attend a weeklong metals class for someone who would otherwise be unable to attend.

News & Stories: Scholarship Stories

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Scholarship Story: Wedding Bands in a Weekend

Recent college graduates Dylan and...

Locate & Contact

Please contact Development for more information.

The John C. Campbell Folk School

Development Office

Barbie White: Development Manager

1.800.FOLK.SCH (365-5724)

Mailing Address
One Folk School Road
Brasstown, NC 28902

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