More scholarships. More paths. More veterans in the sky. Thanks to tremendous community support and continued growth, CloudDancer is expanding its 2026 program to include aviation maintenance professionals for the first time.

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Two Tracks, Ten Awards

Aviation Scholarship — 5 awards at $17,500 each
Designed for veterans pursuing their Private Pilot Certificate — the critical first step the GI Bill doesn’t cover. Funding is released at key milestones: $5,000 upon selection, $5,000 at first solo, $5,000 at solo cross-country, and $2,500 at checkride completion.

AMT Scholarship — 5 awards at $5,000 each
Brand new for 2026 — supporting veterans pursuing Aviation Maintenance Technician certification. AMT recipients who enroll in qualifying programs at Thrust Institute of Maintenance may be eligible for up to $10,000 in additional training support through the institute’s partnership with CloudDancer.

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Why This Expansion Matters

The aviation industry needs more than pilots. Boeing’s latest Pilot and Technician Outlook projects a global need for hundreds of thousands of new maintenance technicians over the next two decades. Veterans have the discipline, technical aptitude, and mission-driven mindset that make them ideal candidates — but the financial barriers are just as real on the maintenance side as they are in the cockpit.