The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation (AH&LEF) will dispense more than $545,000 to hospitality management students and lodging employees for the 2014 academic year through a wide array of scholarship programs.

Scholarship awards range from $500 to $5,000, and unlike student loans do not have to be paid back. For more information on each scholarship and submission requirements, click here.

In addition, AH&LEF has launched a new Website. The entire site, including the application forms, is now compatible with multiple platforms such as smartphones and tablets. For academic scholarships, the forms are more user-friendly, allowing applicants to easily upload files, including transcript documentation. Additionally, a new login area allows applicants to print their application and reference their application identification number. The system also flags the applicant if they do not meet some of the specific eligibility criteria of the scholarship(s) for which they are applying and to incomplete areas of their application.

In 2013, AH&LEF disbursed more than $1 million to prepare promising college students for a career in hospitality, to attract and retain talented industry professionals, and to fund valuable research for lodging properties. Since the Foundation's inception, approximately $18.5 million has been distributed through its scholarship, education, outreach, and research programs.

AH&LEF is the not-for-profit affiliate of AH&LA and is funded solely by charitable donations from progressive hospitality leaders and companies within the industry. All AH&LEF contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. For more information about donating, contact Michelle Poinelli, senior vice president of foundation programs, at (202) 289-3181 or mpoinelli@ahlef.org, or visit www.ahlef.org.