Stern Scholarship Loan Fund

The Jewish Federation of Omaha’s Financial Aid Committee administers the Benjamin & Elizabeth ‘Bess’ Stern Scholarship Loan Fund.  The committee is pleased to announce that substantial interest-free loans are available for Jewish graduate students, regardless of geographic origin. 

This need-based fund was created to make academic loans available to graduate level students in the following fields:

• Higher mathematics, physics (both classical and quantum), astronomy*, meteorology*, astrophysics, engineering or a field related to any of the foregoing which allow us to know more about the universe in which we live;
  
• Journalism, in its best sense of ethical, honest, and accurate reporting, and photo journalism;
  
• Finance and economics;
  
• Architecture* and related fields, including city planning, which affect the quality of life in a community;
  
• Classical music (limited to piano, flute, cello and violin) to give young and old joy from the beauty of its sounds; and
  
• Scientific research in rare and incurable human diseases for which no known complete cure has been found

Loan recipients need not be residents of the Omaha metropolitan area but must be Jewish and must be attending either University of Nebraska Omaha, University of Nebraska Medical Center or Creighton University.  *In addition, loans are available for coursework at the University of Nebraska Lincoln in the fields of Architecture, Astronomy and Meteorology.

Awards are interest-free loans, payable in full over 15 years, beginning one year after graduation.

Download application

Loans will be made based on demonstrated financial need and character to qualified Jewish graduate students.  The application deadline for this special offering (for use in the 2020-2021 academic year) is March 2, 2020. Please contact Diane Walker at (402)334-6407 or dwalker@jewishomaha.org with any questions.