About Our Scholarship Program

Since founding our guild in 1998, members have supported individuals planning to become professional woodworkers.  To that end we have established a scholarship fund supported by generous financial donations and by the proceeds from our annual silent auction to which guild members donate a variety of beautiful wooden objects.  100% of the proceeds from our Silent Auction go to our Scholarship Fund.  As our reputation has grown, our recipients have attended some of the best woodworking and wooden boat building schools in the country. Examples include the North Bennet Street School in Boston, the Furniture Institute of Massachusetts in Beverley, the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport, Maine, and the Krenov School in Fort Bragg, California, the Apprentice Shop in Rockport, ME, and the International Yacht Restoration School in Newport, R.I. We ask scholarship winners to visit our annual show, meet the guild members, and display some of their work.

If you would like to make a donation to the Scholarship Fund, simply send a check made out to the Berkshire Woodworkers Guild and addressed to:

Berkshire Woodworkers Guild, 45 Route 7 North, Falls Village, CT 06031 

If you note "Scholarship Fund" in the memo line, that will be a great help. 

TOTAL AMOUNT AWARDED = $120,000 TO 54 RECIPIENTS

Scholarship Recipients:

2013: Total amount awarded: $1,000
Miwa Oseki Robbins, $500
            Heartwood woodworking courses
Eli Cook, $500
            Preservation Carpentry, North Bennet Street School

2014: Total amount awarded: $1,000
Kurt Warner, $500
            State University of New York at Delhi majoring in Construction Technology.
Connor Young, $500
            New England School of Architectural Woodworking – 5 month program 

2015: No applications

2016: Total amount awarded: $1,000
Rebecca Dolgas, $500
            Interior Architecture program at Maywood University
Olivia Donnelly, $500
            Architecture Program University of Massachusetts

2017: Total amount awarded: $2500
Derek McDonald, $1,250
            Returning student to the Furniture Institute of Massachusetts, Beverly, MA, Furniture Making, a full-time Program.
Eric Diven, $1,250
            Returning student to the Furniture Institute of Massachusetts, Beverly, MA, taking Furniture Making, a full-time Program.
*Jack Ford was awarded $500 to attend the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts but did not enroll and thus the Guild withheld the funds.

2018: Total amount awarded: $6,000
Caitriona Fiero, $1,500
            The Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, Rockland, ME, Nine-Month Furniture Intensive course.
Christopher Laudolff,  $1,500
            Returning student at North Bennet Street School, Boston, MA, studying Preservation Carpentry.
Owen Page,  $1,500
            Returning student at the Apprentice Shop, Rockport, ME, taking the school’s program in traditional wooden boat building and seamanship.
Emily Tillotson, $1,500
            The Krenov School of Fine Furniture, Fort Bragg, CA in their Nine Month Comprehensive furniture building program.

2019: Total amount awarded: $8,000
Nathan Abbe, $1,500
            Returning student at the North Bennet Street School, Boston, MA studying Violin Making and Repair.
Melissa Conlon, $1,500
            Returning student at the International Yacht restoration School, Newport, R.I., enrolled in the Wooden Boat Building and Restoration program.
Dillon Guthro, $1,500
            The Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, Rockland, ME, taking the Nine-Month Furniture Intensive course.
Sophie Linnell, $1,500
            Returning student to North Bennet Street School, Boston, MA, taking a two-year program that combines an introduction to contemporary residential construction with a foundation in pre-20th century New England home construction.
Ben Warger, $1,500
            Returning student at the International Yacht Restoration School, Newport, R.I., in the Wooden Boat Building and Restoration program.
Brooke Romanovicz, $500
            Brooke will use the funds to buy tools for her construction work.

2020: Total amount awarded:$10,000
Veronica Vaillancourt, $2,500
            Returning student at the North Bennet Street School, Boston, MA studying Violin Making and Repair.
Charles Flowers, $2,000
            The North Bennet Street School, Boston, MA 2 year course in Cabinetry and Furniture Making.
Caleigh Sullivan, $2000
            International Yacht Restoration School, Newport RI, 2 year course in Boat Building and Restoration.    
Tabitha Gish, $2,000
            The Apprenticeshop, Rockport ME, taking 2 year course in Traditional Boat Building and Seamanship.
Barbara Grise, $500
            The Heartwood School, Easthampton, MA, 3 month Internship in Timberframing
Toren Johnson, $500
            The Heartwood School, Easthampton, MA, 4 month program in Timberframing
Haniel Wides, $500
            Yestermorrow, Waitsfield, VT, Certificate in Residential Design, unable to attend due to the pandemic

2021: Total amount awarded: $10,000
Miles Gracey, $2,500
The Krenov School, 9 month program
Ada Schenck, $2,500
North Bennett Street School, Violin Making and Repair, second year of 3 year program
Haniel Wides,$2,500
North Bennett Street School, Cabinet and Furniture Making, first year of 2 year program
Kristi Williams, $2,500
San Diego State University, Masters program in Fine Art, Furniture and Woodworking

2022: Total amount awarded: $8,500
Calla Bilhorn, $2,500
Vermont Woodworking School, 2nd year of 2 year program
Alexander Begin, $2,500
North Bennett Street School, Cabinet and Furniture Making, 2nd year of 2 year program
Hannah Landergan Orme, $2,500
North Bennett Street School, Violin Making and Repair, 3rd year of 3 year program
Benjamin Webb, $1,000
Timber Framing A Japanese Structure, Imoshen Studio

2023: Total amount awarded: $16,000
Bonnie Hawk, $4000,
Center For Furniture Craftmanshp
Ian Hallowell, $4,000
North Bennett Street School, Cabinet and Furniture Making
Jenny Gold, $4,000
The Apprenticeshop
J.T. Washington, $2,000
American College of Building Arts
Penina Bernstein, $2,000
RISD, MFA Furniture Design

2024: Total amount awarded: $24,000
Oscar Reyes Columna, $4,000
   Vermont State University Fine Woodworking and Furniture Design
Sayer Houseal, $4,000
   Center For Furniture Craftmanship
Aidan Layng, $4,000
   Center For Furniture Craftmanship
James Nelson, $4,000
   SDSU Furniture Design and Woodworking
Alyse Schriefer, $4,000
   The Krenov School
Bonnie Yu, $4,000
   The Krenov School

2025: Total amount awarded: $32,000” Melike Baskoylu, $4,000 Center for Furniture Craftsmanship
Carolyn Campana, $4,000 Cabinet and Furniture Making, North Bennett Street School
Oak Fonte, $2,000 The Apprentice Shop
Madison Foulconer, $4,000 Vermont Fine Woodworking School
Shirley Hsu, $2,000 The Krenov School
Carolyn Knight, $4,000 Cabinet and Furniture Making, North Bennett Street School
Abby Lee, $4,000 Violin Making and Repair, North Bennett Street School
Aiden Louks, $4,000 Cabinet and Furniture Making, North Bennett Street School
Solenn Minoque, $4,000 Cabinet and Furniture Making, North Bennett Street School

 Compiled by Scholarship Committee Chairpersons
                Will Beemer 2012 – ’16     Hilary Russell 2016 – ‘20 Brad Simon, Michael Deegan 2021 -2023 Joel Mark, Thom Lipiczky 2024 - Current