OBTF Information

The Ohio Business Teachers Foundation, Inc. (OBTF); awards monies in three categories: financial assistance grants, grants-in-aid, and scholarships. The availability of monies awarded each year depends upon the availability of funds. The OBTF Selection Committee screens all applications and makes recommendations to the OBTF Board of Trustees. Acceptance of grant monies under any category REQUIRES the recipient to disseminate information about business education to business educators in Ohio. This dissemination may take one of several forms. (See below)

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: Financial Assistance will be awarded to PROFESSIONAL educators as defined below who, through research, investigation, and /or experimentation, can produce evidence of significant contributions to the field of business education.

GRANTS-IN-AID: Grants-in-aid will be awarded to GRADUATE students who demonstrate financial need. The recipient must select a project that has significance to the field of business education.

SCHOLARSHIPS: Scholarships will be awarded to UNDERGRADUATE or GRADUATE students, or PROFESSIONAL educators who have an accumulative academic grade point average of at least a 3.0 based upon a 4.0 system, who are enrolled on a full-time basis (at least 12 semester hours) at an accredited four-year institution, and who can contribute information about the field of business education to Ohio’s business educators.

PROFESSIONAL EDUCATOR: A professional educator is one who is currently employed as a teacher and/or administrator in business education in the State of Ohio; is a current member of the Ohio Business Teachers Association and/or the BE Division of the Ohio Vocational Association; and has the equivalent of three (3) academic years of teaching in business education.

GRADUATE STUDENT: A graduate student is one who (1) is pursuing course work above the baccalaureate level at an accredited Ohio institution; (2) is a current member of the Ohio BusinessTeachers Association and/or the BE Division of the Ohio Vocational Association; and (3) is enrolled in course work for regular academic credit in business, business education, or a field directly related in an institution offering a Baccalaureate and higher degrees in these fields.

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT: An undergraduate student is one who (1) is currently enrolled in a four year baccalaureate level program in the field of business education at an accredited Ohio institution and (2) is carrying at least 12 semester credit hours of work.

PUBLIC DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION: Public dissemination of information may take any one of the following forms:

a. Presentation at the OBTA--An Association for Business Technology Educators' yearly conference or at the BIT Division of the Ohio Association for Career and Technical Education Annual Convention;
b. Written and/or oral report given to the OBTF Board of Trustees;
c. An article written for publication in a professional business education magazine or journal;
d. Videotape presentation;
e. Or any other method that informs Ohio’s business teachers about business education.