Shannon Foundation Fund for Judges' Licensing

The Shannon Foundation Fund for Judges’ Licensing provides financial support to dressage judges to participate in activities related to obtaining a judging license of (‘r’) (Recorded) or higher.  

Amount of Grant: $1,000-$3,000 

Application Deadline: March 15 

The Shannon Foundation Board of Directors, at the request of dressage professional Julie Shannon (GA), established the Shannon Foundation Fund for Judges’ Licensing with The Dressage Foundation in 2016. One or more grants are awarded each year to individuals who have been accepted in the 'r' (Recorded) Program by USEF, or have been approved by the USEF Licensed Official Committee to gain promotion at a higher level. The grant is to be used for costs associated with completing apprenticeship requirements at competitions or attending workshops or other educational programs associated with judging certification. 

Applicant Requirements: 

Applicant must: 

• Be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident. 
• Have an interest in continuing their dressage judging education.  
• Have an attainable training plan to obtain their goals with this grant.  

Additional Grant Information:

• Training or events funded by this grant can start no sooner than two months after the application deadline date.   
• Funding cannot be used for competition entries, vet and/or farrier expenses, living expenses, or the purchase of a horse or equipment.  
• The recipients of these grants must use the funds within two years of the date of the award.  
• Recipients are chosen by an independent selection committee comprised of dressage industry leaders. The applications and discussions of the selection committee are confidential, and their decisions are final. 
• The selection committee reserves the right not to award a grant in any given year if they determine that no candidate has met the criteria.   
• If the grant recipient is unable to attend the event/training specified in their application, The Dressage Foundation must be notified as soon as possible. Approval for a change in the use of funds is at the discretion of The Dressage Foundation and the grant selection committee.  
• This grant may not be received in consecutive years.  

Reporting Information: 

• For all recipients, 75% of grant funds will be paid prior to the recipient’s departure for training; 25% will be paid after the applicant has completed training and has submitted a training and financial report to The Dressage Foundation. 
• The recipients of the grants are required to provide a training and financial report of their experience to The Dressage Foundation. The reports may be written, video, photo journal, or other ways pre-approved by The Dressage Foundation. The report is due within two months following the completion of the training. 
• Throughout their training, recipients are encouraged to share training/event updates with The Dressage Foundation via email or tag The Dressage Foundation on social media.   

History of the Shannon Foundation Fund for Judges' Licensing

As a successful instructor and trainer, Julie Shannon saw the need to help dressage judges who are interested in moving up the levels, to create a strong pipeline of judges in the United States.