1.      The name of the scholarship fund will be The Zacharias Fund in honor of the Biblical priest who communicated with his hands (Luke 1).

2.      The purpose of The Zacharias Fund is to support students who are or will be studying for the deaf ministry of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and will serve deaf people upon completion of their studies. This includes those preparing for related church work such as deaconess, DCE, DE, pastoral and teaching programs.

3.      The president shall appoint a chairman to send out letters to all Lutheran college and university financial aid offices and to handle applications for recommendation. These recommendations will be reviewed by the Board of Directors to make a decision.

4.      The letter sent to the school financial aid officers shall state:

a.      Prospective students for the pastoral, teaching or other ministries will be considered, providing they indicate their intention to serve deaf people of the LCMS following completion of their studies.

b.      All applicants shall apply through the chairman of the ILDA scholarship fund. This shall be done by returning a completed standard questionnaire, listing personal information, school grades and references.

c.      The amount of need shall be determined by the ILDA Board of Directors not to exceed $1000 per student per year and shall be placed in the student’s account in the financial office. The scholarship shall be distributed after the committee approves the selection. If a student drops out of the program, the scholarship becomes a loan which must be repaid with interest (prime rate) beginning the day of dropout.

d.      The financial aid officer of the college or seminary shall immediately inform the chairman of the ILDA scholarship fund in the event that a scholarship student withdraws from such program and all further disbursements shall cease.

e.      Students doing satisfactory work may apply for additional scholarships in succeeding years through the same process listed above.

f.        There will be no discrimination because of race, sex or national origin. Hearing and deaf applicants will be given equal consideration if they meet the criteria listed above.