Photo credit: Jargalsaikhan.D | Photographer via Foter.com / CC BY-ND

Girvin Scholarship

The Scholarship program was established in 2003 by the UNICEF staff in the belief it would matt025acommemorate and continue Matthew’s interests and work with Mongolian youth, especially those living in the remote nomadic communities. The UNICEF charter does not permit it to transfer outside funds from the New York City headquarters to foreign operations. To solve this challenge of transferring the funds from the Girvin family in the USA to the UNICEF office in Mongolia required another agency. Initially this was the Mongolian Youth Development Foundation (MYDF), but by 2006 Friends of Mongolia (FOM) was discovered to better serve this need. This agency is staffed by returned Peace Corps workers who had their tour in Mongolia. Over time it seemed apparent that the management of the program by the UNICEF staff was becoming more difficult for them because of the time involved. It also became known to UNICEF and to the Girvin family that FOM also managed several other scholarship programs in Mongolia. In 2009 FOM took more responsibility in selecting the recipients and determining the benefits to each of them. The class of 2012-2013 is the tenth year of the program with 12 recipients, four being renewed this year. It is a combined effort by representatives of the UNICEF office and FOM (which is a registered 501 (c) 3 organization) in Mongolia and the Inland Northwest Community Foundation in Spokane, Washington which manages the funds stateside. The Girvin family looks forward to working with each of these organizations on this scholarship for many years in the future.

Interested in Contributing?

Would you like to contribute to the Scholarship fund?

This can be done via the Inland Northwest Community Foundation Give Now page. Simply choose Matthew Girvin Scholarship Fund from the list in Box 1.

The Inland Northwest Community Foundation (INWCF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. They have awarded more than $42 million in grants and scholarships in our region since their inception in 1974.

As the community foundation for the Inland Northwest, they serve 10 counties in Eastern Washington and 10 counties in North Idaho. Their services help people who care about our region accomplish their charitable goals.

Community foundation staff and volunteers work with individuals, families, businesses and nonprofit organizations to establish charitable funds to support the causes they care about within our region and beyond. INWCF works with donors, nonprofits and community leaders toward a common goal to improve the quality of life in our communities.

Professionally managing and investing the donors’ charitable dollars and assist them in awarding grants and scholarships from their funds. Making sure the money is being used as the donors intend and monitor the use of the funds to ensure that they are making a difference.

Interested in Applying?

Information on applying for the Matt Girvin Scholarship
View Application on Google Docs

Application for returning applicants
View Application on Google Docs

Matthew Lee Girvin Award

Emory University | Rollins School of Public Health

The Matthew Lee Girvin Award is presented to a recent graduate of the Rollins School of Public Health who exemplifies Matthew’s selfless dedication to the field of public health and who has made significant contributions toward improving the lives and health of others.

For more information on the recipients, visit the Rollins School Public Health website.

2023-2024 Jennifer Pettie

2022-2023 Megan Cohen

2020-2021 Takeia Horton

2019-2020 Shantrice Jones

2017-2018 Lcdr. Charlotte Kaboré

2016-2017 Aneesah Akbar-Uqdah

2015-2016 Felicia Warren

2014-2015 Matthew Biggerstaff

2013-2014 Katie Wootten Deal

2012-2013 Robyn S. Kay

2011-2012 Rosemarie Kobau

2010-2011 Melissa Creary

2009-2010 Alison L. Smith

2008-2009 Rebecca Vander Meulen

2007-2008 Leisel Talley

2006-2007 Cheryll J. Cardinez

2005-2006 David A. Bray

2004-2005 Chanda Mobley

2003-2004 Lyrna Siklóssy

2002-2003 Aun Lor