The bid and proposal field hasn’t always enjoyed the professional recognition it has today.
But thanks to a number of trailblazing leaders, the field now boasts a well-established Body of Knowledge, a set of professional standards and a Certification Program that validates the hard work and expertise of its practitioners.
Among these trailblazers is Charlie Divine, whose career-long dedication to raising standards and carving out professional development routes in the profession has paved the way for thousands to achieve new heights in their careers.
In honor of his contributions, the Charlie Divine Scholarship was developed to make certification universally accessible for emerging professionals.
Each year, this Scholarship supports APMP members on their journey to Foundation Certification, removing financial obstacles so that the next generation of bid and proposal professionals can gain skills and credentials essential to their career growth.
With the 2025 Scholarship application deadline approaching on November 6, we’re shining a spotlight on the scholarship and its significance, with a little help from the man who made it all possible.
If you’re looking to achieve your Foundation certification but are facing financial barriers, applying for the Charlie Divine Scholarship could help you do it without the price tag! You can apply now to join the esteemed list of Scholarship recipients who APMP has funded through their Foundation certification. Read on for more information about the scholarship, or view the form and apply here.
Meet Charlie Divine
Charlie Divine is more than a name to APMP members—he is a mentor and advocate who has shaped the field of bid and proposal management. With a 40-year career characterized by leading proposal and pursuit centers, managing a business development consultancy, and serving on the APMP Board of Directors, Charlie has championed professional standards at every turn.
Charlie’s professional journey led him to help develop APMP’s Certification Program, and serve as APMP’s Certification Director from 2011 to 2018.
“A lot of people got into proposal development by accident,” says Charlie. “We’d hear lots of stories of people walking down the hall at just the right time for someone to catch them and say, ‘Hey, you can write really well, you should help us with this proposal’.
“We wanted to set standards for this profession and build a Body of Knowledge to help people do the job really well—that’s the foundation that the Certification Program was built on.”
And that Certification Program has now seen over 17,000 professionals worldwide grow their knowledge and skills, as well gain recognition and validation for the specialist value they bring to their organizations.
Though retired, Charlie remains active in the profession through his connection to APMP, helping the next generation of bid and proposal professionals to achieve their certifications.
What is the Charlie Divine Scholarship?
Charlie and his peers envisioned the Scholarship to alleviate the financial challenges that can impede emerging bid and proposal professionals from achieving certification and scaling up their careers.
Since many individuals interested in the Foundation certification are at the start of their careers, with limited resources to invest in their professional growth, the Scholarship funds that Certification for its recipients.
“We decided we wanted to remove barriers for people to getting certified by creating a scholarship for people who have financial need,” Charlie says. “We wanted to make it as easy as possible for people to apply.”
As such, the application form only asks two main questions.
“We only ask what the Foundation Certification will do for your career and your growth, and what the basis of your financial need is,” Charlie explains. “To read applications from people from all over the world—to read their stories and the way they want to use certification to build their career—is really uplifting.”
The Scholarship is designed specifically for APMP’s global membership, and aims to award individuals from all over the world.
Why apply?
The Charlie Divine Scholarship opens doors to career growth, networking, and personal development within APMP. Not only does it offer financial assistance, but it also aligns recipients with a community of professionals who share a commitment to excellence.
More and more, APMP certification is becoming a valuable benchmark for the profession, for individuals, and for employers. Foundation certification comes with a post-nomial tag—’CF APMP’—which publicly demonstrates that its bearer is up there with the best.
But the work of Charlie and his contemporaries made sure that APMP Certification is more than just a badge.
“If you’re in this profession, you need to understand those standards,” Charlie explains. “Certification is such an important thing now to really rise in that profession because it gives you the tools you need to do a good job.”
He adds: “It shows to your employers, to your peers, and to the teams that you support that you are a professional in what you do. This is not just an ill-defined job that anyone can do anymore. We’ve really made it a profession.”
And if you are selected to receive the Charlie Divine Scholarship, you get all of that for free!
“You should try to get certified any way you can,” says Charlie. “And we’re glad to help you if you need it.”
How can you apply?
Applying for the Charlie Divine Scholarship is straightforward. Prospective applicants need to complete a short form with two key questions about their career goals and financial need. There is no fixed number of scholarships awarded; typically, around 20-25 scholarships are granted each year.
This year’s recipients will be celebrated at APMP’s Honors Gala in December.
With applications closing on November 6, now is the time for those interested to take the next step. The Charlie Divine Scholarship isn’t just financial support—it’s a pathway to building a meaningful career, guided by standards that Charlie Divine and APMP have worked tirelessly to establish.
For those looking to make a lasting impact in proposal management, the scholarship offers an invaluable opportunity to begin that journey.
Apply now by clicking this link. Good luck!
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