GFOAz has developed the following scholarships and awards to ensure that members are recognized for outstanding service and have the opportunity to challenge themselves by participating in professional development programs.
GFOAz Life Membership
GFOAz Lifetime Membership is conferred on retired members who have provided distinguished service to local government and who have made lasting and meaningful contributions to GFOAz and the profession of government finance. This honor is conferred on retired members at the Winter Conference.
Click here to download nomination form for GFOAz Lifetime Membership.
Nominations for Lifetime Membership open in November and close in December.
Lifetime Members:
Jerry Hart
Mindy Russell
GFOAz State Scholarships
The Government Finance Officers Association of Arizona (GFOAz) awards two scholarships to the state association’s summer conference. Two recipients will receive up to $500 to be used toward reimbursement for: registration, lodging and travel.
Summer: Click here for further details and to view the application.
Apply by July 14, 2023
GFOA Annual Conference Scholarship
The Government Finance Officers Association of Arizona (GFOAz) awards one scholarship to attend the GFOA annual conference. One GFOAz active member is eligible to receive a $3,000 reimbursement scholarship for registration, lodging, and travel for the conference.
Click here for further details and to view the application.
Apply by November 3, 2023
GFOA Leadership Academy at the College of Charleston
GFOAz awards two $2,100 scholarships for the GFOA Leadership Academy program at the College of Charleston every other year. This program is open to: Finance Directors, Assistant Finance Directors, Treasurers, Department Managers, City Managers, and Assistant City Managers. Attendees completing the GFOA Leadership Academy can earn approximately 30 CPEs through participation.
Eligibility:
- Must have current and paid GFOA Membership
- Must be current GFOAz Active or Retired member
Applications for the 2023 Leadership Academy will open on the GFOA website June 15, 2023 and close August 31, 2023. Applicants selected to participate in the program will be notified by GFOA no later than September 15, 2023 and those admitted will be required to submit tuition payment by October 13, 2023. The 2023 Leadership Academy is scheduled for November 12-17, 2023. After applying on the GFOA website, please send a copy of your application to GFOAz at info@gfoaz.org for scholarship consideration.
Click here for further details and to view the application.
GFOA Application Deadline: Apply by August 31, 2023
GFOAz Application Deadline: Apply by September 8, 2023
GFOA Certified Public Finance Officer Enrollment Scholarship
The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) is providing certified public finance officer (CPFO) enrollment scholarships for GFOAz to award to its members. GFOAz will award up to two enrollment scholarships annually to cover the $600.00 enrollment fee for one year of enrollment in GFOA’s CPFO program. Enrollment costs covered include five exam attempts, two free GFOA e-learning webinars, and access to a CPFO Exam Prep product with over twenty recorded seminars. The program’s structure allows candidates to earn the CPFO credential within two years for a total cost of $1,200. Annual enrollment in the program is required until a candidate passes all seven exams.
GFOA Certified Public Finance Officer (CPFO) program. Read more about the CPFO program here.
Eligibility:
- Must have current and paid GFOA Membership
- Must be current GFOAz Active or Retired member
- Must not be currently enrolled in CPFO program
Click here for further details and to view the application.
Apply by March 10, 2023.
GFOAz Student Internship and Scholarship Program
The GFOAz Internship and Scholarship Program was created in 2015 and will honor Arizona students who aspire to a career in public finance. One GFOAz internship and scholarship will be awarded to an incoming junior or senior enrolled at Arizona State University, Grand Canyon University, Northern Arizona University or the University of Arizona.
To be eligible, students must be working on an accounting, finance, economics, business or business-related major. Additional criteria for eligibility are listed in the attached Student Internship/Scholarship Information and application form. Applications are due in December. GFOAz will notify the student selected for its internship/scholarship award in January.
The GFOAz scholar will have the opportunity for a paid internship with a local city, town, or county where he/she will contribute towards a broad range of activities within the finance department. The GFOAz Internship/Scholarship Program also includes a cash scholarship which will be awarded upon successful completion of the internship.
Click here for internship/scholarship program application.
Scholarship application opens in October and closes in December.
Click here for more information on the scholarship including host application.
Host application deadline opens in September and closes in December.
Click here to view the GFOAz Privacy Policy. If you have any questions on the scholarships or the application process, please contact League Staff at info@gfoaz.org or 602-258-5786.

We are proud to announce the winner for the GFOAz Internship/Scholarship Program!
Brooklyn Angle is working as a finance intern at the Town of Thatcher. In this internship, she has been able to review financial statements and learn more about how a municipality operates financially. In 2019, she graduated as valedictorian from Thatcher High School and received the Touching Hearts Through Athletics National Award. Last summer, she returned home from serving an 18-month service mission in California for her church. After returning home, she continued her studies at Eastern Arizona College. While studying accounting at Eastern Arizona College, she was a student member of the Arizona Society of CPAs. She completed her associate’s degree with a 4.0 GPA and was awarded the NJCAA All-Academic first team for volleyball. She is now pursuing a bachelor’s degree in accounting.

We are proud to announce the winner for the GFOAz ASU Financial Data Analytics Internship position!
Edwin Rodriguez is a Finance major at Arizona State University with a minor in Public Service and Public Policy. Currently, he is a page intern at the Arizona House of Representatives and recently concluded a metadata internship with SolarSPELL at ASU. At his past internships, he has learned about legislative processes, local policy issues, digital libraries, and data standardization. Using this wealth of prior experience, he will be working on a project during his internship with GFOAz to create a financial data resource for local government agency usage. During his Fall 2023 semester, he will be participating in the ASU Policy Design Studio Internship Program based in Washington D.C. with the hopes of interning for a federal agency.