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The Deena Jo Heide-Diesslin Foundation Challenge Match Scholarship

About the Scholarship

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Deena Jo Heide-Diesslin

In 2011, David H. Diesslin, CFP® established The Deena Jo Heide-Diesslin Foundation in memory of his wife, Deena, who passed away after a long, valiant battle with cancer. Deena was a courageous fighter, teaching and giving to the end. The goal of Deena's foundation is to promote, encourage, and foster nonprofits, with a particular emphasis on empowering women and other underrepresented populations through education.

When CFP Board launched the CFP Board Center for Financial Planning in late 2015, there was a natural synergy between the missions and visions of the two organizations that emerged during conversations with Dave Diesslin, former Chair of the Board of Directors for CFP Board. Building on Deena’s passion for empowering individuals through education, Dave seized the opportunity to make an impact in the financial planning profession while honoring the memory of his late wife. And with that, The Deena Jo Heide-Diesslin Foundation Challenge Match Scholarship was created.

This scholarship provides financial support to individuals seeking to complete requirements for CFP® certification through a CFP Board-Registered certificate or undergraduate program. Eligible candidates must demonstrate financial need and be from populations that are underrepresented in the financial planning profession in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, disability or sexual orientation.

The scholarship awards up to $5,000 for those attending a certificate program and up to $10,000 for those attending an undergraduate program. The amount of the award will be based on submitted documentation showing program costs. Applications will be reviewed by an independent Scholarship Review Panel comprised of CFP® professionals as well as members of the Deena Jo Heide-Diesslin Foundation.

As a valued longtime partner and visionary circle sponsor of the Center, Vanguard recognizes the importance of diversifying the financial planning profession and offering financial support to qualifying students to support their journey. Beginning in 2021, to help increase the number of scholarships available, Vanguard contributed to The Deena Jo Heide-Diesslin Foundation Challenge Match Scholarship to further the impact of empowering women and other underrepresented populations in their pursuit of a financial planning role. We appreciate the continued partnership and look forward to supporting the development of the next generation of financial planners

 

Eligibility Requirements

  • Must not be a prior recipient of a CFP Board Center for Financial Planning scholarship;
  • Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident;
  • Must be from an underrepresented population within the financial planning profession in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or veteran status AND must have a demonstrated financial need, as explained in an essay to be submitted during the application process;
  • To receive the award, must be enrolled in an undergraduate or certificate-level CFP Board Registered Program. Click here for a list of eligible programs.
    • If not enrolled at the time of applying, scholarship awardees will have up to 3 months to enroll or forfeit the award;
    • If applying for an undergraduate-level scholarship, must not be in the final semester at the time of the application;
    • If applying for a certificate-level scholarship, must possess an undergraduate degree and must not have completed 6 or more courses in the certificate-level program at the time of the application.
  • Must provide documentation of enrollment in an eligible program and costs prior to receiving the award;
  • Must demonstrate commitment to the financial planning profession, as explained in an essay to be submitted during the application process; and
  • Applicants will be required to pass a background check conducted by CFP Board, and must enhance and maintain the profession’s public image.

Submission Requirements

Applications will only be accepted through the application portal. Please do not attempt to submit application materials via mail, fax or email.

When submitting application essays and materials, please pay close attention to spelling, grammar and presentation, as that will be factored into the grading process.

Award Process

Scholarship awards will be disbursed in two equal installments. To receive the first installment, recipients must demonstrate proof of enrollment in an eligible undergraduate or certificate-level CFP Board Registered Program. If not currently enrolled in a program, recipients will have up to 3 months to enroll after being notified of the award. The second installment will be awarded either upon completing the program (if the awardee has already started coursework) or when the awardee is half-way through the program (if the awardee has not yet started coursework).

Application Deadline

The application window will be open in late August 2025.

 

“I am very grateful to the donors of The Deena Jo Heide-Diesslin Scholarship and to the Center for Financial Planning for awarding me this scholarship which is helping me to obtain the knowledge I need to become a CFP® professional."

– Sandra Cervantes, CFP®, 2017 Diesslin Scholar