NIF History and Scholarship Selection Process

The Naval Intelligence Foundation was founded by NIP in 1988, as a tax exempt, charitable and educational organization. It was created for the sole purpose of soliciting, receiving, and administering funds and property in order to advance knowledge in the art of Naval and Maritime Intelligence, and to recognize and reward academic excellence and professional achievement in the field of Intelligence. The Foundation has subsequently merged back into the NIP organization as a Committee. The Foundation draws its support from the NIP membership and from other individual and corporate sponsors and supporters of Naval Intelligence. The Committee oversees and presents awards and scholarships as noted in “Naval Intelligence Professionals Programs” below. To contact the Foundation, address correspondence to:

The Scholarship Program was initiated in 1988 by RADM (Ret.) Sumner Shapiro (DNI, 1978-1982), who recognized the Naval Intelligence Professional by providing financial assistance to college-bound children of active duty officer and enlisted personnel. The program initially consisted of one scholarship of $500. In the ensuing years, as the Foundation grew, additional scholarships were added and the award was gradually increased to the 2012 level of six scholarships for $3,000 each. Eligibility was also expanded to reflect the realities of the “total force” concept to include children of sponsors in the Naval Intelligence Reserve Program and to enlisted personnel pursuing higher education.

Two scholarships are funded by the Foundation and named after VADM Donald E. Engen (a renowned Naval Aviator, Director of the National Air and Space Museum until his death in 1999, and a great friend of the Navy Intelligence community) and CAPT Anthony D. Sesow, a long-serving former Foundation President and a highly decorated Navy Intelligence Officer. The Sesow scholarship is reserved for enlisted personnel. The other four scholarships are endowed by the families of deceased intelligence professionals or anonymous donors: CAPT Richard Ward Bates, who served on active duty from 1948 to 1979, with most of it in Naval Intelligence; CDR Dan F. Shanower, who was killed during the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon; Captain George J. O’Donnell, Jr. a distinguished 31-year veteran of the naval intelligence community, and Captain (Select) Kurt William Juengling an intelligence professional who is a combat casualty from wounds received in Iraq in 2010.

The Foundation Scholarship cycle starts with the announcement of program eligibility requirements and submission procedures beginning six months in advance of the 15 April deadline each year. Submissions are reviewed by a selected panel of NIP members, who use a grade each candidate on the announced criteria of academic and athletic achievement, extracurricular activities and community service. Enlisted candidates are also evaluated on service performance. Following the panel’s selection, a congratulatory letter is sent to each selectee. Press releases are sent to each media outlet designated by the respective scholarship recipients. Letters are also sent to those who were not selected to thank them for their interest and to encourage submission in subsequent years. Finally, an article summarizing the scholarship results is provided to the NIP Quarterly editor.