In 1997 AIA Wyoming established the Architectural Education Foundation of AIA Wyoming (AEF-AIAWy) to help Wyoming students obtain an architectural education at National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) accredited schools of architecture. The AEF-AIAWy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and is administered by the board of directors, volunteer members of AIA Wyoming. Multiple scholarships are typically awarded each year to deserving Wyoming residents or Wyoming high school graduates.

The scholarship’s original funds were a gift of $3,000 from the Colorado Producers Council to AIA Wyoming in the late 1980s. During the 1990s, AIA Wyoming started distributing a portion of excess funds from the previous year’s budget to the AEF-AIAWy scholarship fund. Since then, the AEF-AIAWy has asked AIA Wyoming members for their firms to make a yearly donation pledge. AEF-AIAWy also solicits gifts from allied professionals, Wyoming philanthropic organizations and individuals and holds periodic fundraising events. The AEF-AIAWy has been able to grow the corpus of the scholarship funds to a level where we can sustain the scholarship awards from yearly earnings.

In 2017, AEF changed the scholarship eligibility requirements to assist more potential future architects. All applicants must still be a graduate of a Wyoming high school, have graduated (or anticipate graduating in the year of application) from the University of Wyoming, or be a current Wyoming resident. Scholarship awards are now tiered to match a student’s progress toward an accredited degree in architecture. College freshmen must have an anticipated college path leading to a degree in architecture and are eligible for a $500 scholarship from AEF. Sophomores must be accepted by or enrolled in an accredited school of architecture pre-professional program. Sophomores are eligible for a $750 scholarship. Through Master of Architecture graduate students, college juniors must be enrolled in a NAAB accredited school of architecture in a professional program that leads to either a Bachelor or Master of Architecture degree. Juniors are eligible for $1000, seniors are eligible for $1250 and fifth-year and graduate students are eligible for $1500. The listed amounts are minimums and the Scholarship Committee may award higher amounts. There is an additional financial incentive for students to work for a Wyoming resident architect for at least eight weeks.

Occasionally the AEF hosts fundraising events. This year a golf tournament was associated with the AIA Wyoming Annual Fall Conference in Casper, WY. The Casper Country Club provided excellent service and pristine conditions. Several thousand dollars were raised thanks to the sponsors such as Prairie Pella, West Plains Engineering, Native 38 Architecture, Dan Stalker Architect, MOA Architecture and Merritt Purdy.