Foundation Overview

 

FOUNDATION HISTORY

SPWLA Foundation was formed in 1985 as The Society of Professional Well Log Analysts Educational Fund for the exclusive purpose of issuing scholarships and grants for the study at schools, universities, and colleges engaged in the teaching and study of the science of formation evaluation. The Foundation was later renamed The Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log Analysts Foundation to address the increasing role that rock and fluid analysis plays in the science of formation evaluation. The Foundation was set up as a 501(c) (3) organization and is funded by the SPWLA, companies and individuals to support the overall purposes of the SPWLA. All contributions to the Foundation are fully tax-deductible according to the United States Internal Revenue Service.

 

PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES

The purpose of the SPWLA Foundation is twofold.  First, the Foundation establishes and maintains the financial endowments of the Society and awards scholarships and grants from those endowments for related study at universities and other educational institutions. Second, the Foundation maintains the SPWLA Fund and disburses monies from that fund at the request of the SPWLA Board to support technical programs.

FOUNDATION ORGANIZATION

The Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of five members selected from SPWLA Past Presidents, other SPWLA members who have demonstrated a commitment to the benefit of SPWLA by serving on the SPWLA Board of Directors, or the recipients of either the Distinguished Service Award or the Medal of Honor for Career Service Award from the Society. Board members serve a term of five years in such a way that each year one of the directors is replaced by a new member.

There are two standing committees of the Foundation: a Scholarship and Grant Committee and a SPWLA Support Committee.

The Scholarship and Grant Committee is responsible for recommending candidates for scholarships and grants. This committee consists of representatives from the SPWLA Board appointed by the President of the Society, four other members appointed by the President of the Foundation, and a chairman appointed by the SPWLA Board. The number and amount of such awards are determined by the Foundation's Board of Directors.

The SPWLA Support Committee reviews requests from the Society for funds in support of specific projects and assures that such funds are available without jeopardizing the integrity of the corporation's endowments.

HOW FUNDS ARE USED

The Foundation has endowments for both scholarships and grants that come from SPWLA, local SPWLA chapters, industry and private contributors. Scholarships are funded only from earnings on the endowments. Current SPWLA Foundation assets are just over one million dollars. Foundation expenses historically are less than 0.2% of assets.

SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT

Income from this endowment is used for scholarships covering costs of tuition, books, and fees. There are the following scholarship classes:

Chapter scholarships:

  • Abu Dhabi
  • CWLS
  • Dallas
  • Denver
  • Houston
  • M&GLS
  • Oklahoma City
  • Paris (SAID)
  • San Antonio
  • San Joaquin
  • Tulsa

Memorial and Industry scholarships funds:

  • 1  The Vicki King Memorial Scholarship
  • 2  BP Petrophysics Scholarship Fund
  • 3  Gus Archie/Shell
  • 4  Walter Fertl
  • 5  Al Gilreath
  • 6  R.G. Hamilton
  • 7  W.A. Hoyer
  • 8  Bill Mills/Mobil
  • 9  A.V. Messineo
  • 10 M.P. Tixier
  • 11 Robert Truman/Baker Hughes
  • 12 Jacques Tabanou/Schlumberger Memorial Fund
  • 13 Philippe Theys Data Quality Fund

Scholarship awards have been presented to Junior, and higher, undergraduate students, and to graduate students who have demonstrated outstanding achievements and plan to pursue a career in the science of formation evaluation.

The magnitude and number of scholarships and grants are decided by the Board of the Foundation. Typically, the scholarship awards of $1000 and up in increments of $500 are usually offered. Grants are offered in similar amounts but may be adjusted to cover all or part of the estimated research project budget.

Some of these scholarship funds have additional restrictions on recipients. Those funds and their restrictions are:

The Abu Dhabi Chapter Scholarship:

The preferred candidate must be studying a discipline that furthers the understanding of carbonate petrophysics.

The Denver Well Logging Society Scholarship:

The preferred candidate should be attending a Rocky Mountain College in North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Arizona, or Nevada, be pursuing a degree in a field related to upstream oilfield well log interpretation (i.e. Petrophysics, Geomechanics, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Petroleum, or Geology ), and be a Graduate Student.

The Paris (SAID) Chapter Scholarship:

The preferred candidate should be either a French citizen studying in the United States or an American citizen studying in France or a student of European, African, or South American origin. The recipient must provide a complete report of the studies or research to the Paris chapter when completed and that report will be open to the public in the Paris Chapter files.

The San Joaquin Chapter Scholarship:

The preferred candidate should be either a student studying the physical sciences enrolled at a California university or a California resident studying the physical sciences at any North American university.

OTHER FUNDS

SPWLA ENDOWMENT - Income from the SPWLA Endowment is used in support of the Society's scientific, charitable and educational programs, or may be added to funds available for scholarships and grants.

GRANTS FUND - Contributions designated as grants are distributed annually to scholarship recipients or faculty to support formation evaluation projects.

SPWLA FUND - Moneys designated for the SPWLA Fund may be disbursed at the request of the SPWLA Board to support technical programs. Income generated by this Fund not needed for such programs may be added to funds available for scholarships and grants.

 

SOURCES OF FUNDS

SPWLA BOARD - The SPWLA Board is committed to and has been a major source of support for the Foundation.

SPWLA MEMBERSHIP - Voluntary support by the membership has provided substantial contributions to the Foundation

SPWLA CHAPTERS - Several chapters have established scholarship funds, many using funds generated by hosting SPWLA Symposia.

INDUSTRY - Corporations utilizing formation evaluation are supporting these skills with contributions to the foundation.

 

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE

Please click Make_A_Donation to contribute online

OR

Please send your contribution to:

SPWLA Foundation
8866 Gulf Freeway,
Suite 320,
Houston , Texas 77017.

NONDISCRIMINATION, CONFLICT OF INTEREST, AND OFFICER COMPENSATION POLICY:
SPWLA Foundation’s Policy of Non-discrimination for Scholarship and Grant Applicants
The SPWLA Foundation’s policies regarding fairness and non-discrimination among the members of its Board of Directors, its student and faculty awardees, and its contractors are the same as those to be found in the parent SPWLA’s bylaws and code of ethics and reiterated in the Foundation’s scholarship and grant application forms. Explicitly, the Foundation’s non-discrimination policy is as stated below:
The SPWLA Foundation awards scholarships and grants to recipients based upon the evaluation of an applicant’s responses to requests made on the application form made by a committee of disinterested judges. It is the policy of the SPWLA Foundation that no applicant for a scholarship or grant who qualifies to apply under the academic guidelines established for an applicant shall be excluded from submitting an application or receiving a scholarship or grant on the basis of race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, or disability.
SPWLA Foundation’s Policy on Conflicts of Interest
The SPWLA Foundation seeks not only to avoid favoritism or conflicts of interest in its awarding of Grants and Scholarships, but even the appearance of favoritism or a conflict of interest. It is the policy of the SPWLA Foundation that no member of the Scholarship and Grant committee shall evaluate a scholarship or grant application from an applicant who is a member of the committee member’s immediate or extended family. The committee member must disclose to the Committee this relationship to the applicant and must abstain from the evaluation and ranking of the relative’s application. Further, if a committee member has a collegial relationship with the parent of an applicant, this requires that the member disclose this possible cause of favoritism to the Committee and Chairperson for review of possible conflict of interest.    
SPWLA Foundation Officer Compensation
The SPWLA Foundation’s elected officers and appointed committee members serve without compensation. The Foundation has no employees. The Foundation’s sole expenses are to its accounting and portfolio management contractors.