Scholarship Fund Launched to Expand the CPA Pipeline

New York and Chicago (June 27, 2024) A new initiative, Controllers for a Cause™ Scholarship Fund, seeks to support the CPA pipeline with scholarships for students sitting for the CPA Exam. The fund is a program developed by the Controllers Council™ and administered by the AICPA Foundation, a charitable organization of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Participation in the Controllers for a Cause™ Scholarship Fund will be available to members, subscribers and sponsors of the Controllers Council, AICPA members and sponsors, and the public at large via the AICPA Foundation donations page. All donations and scholarship awards will be managed by the AICPA Foundation, established in 1922 to advance accounting as a learned profession and promote its future through accounting education and outreach, scholarships and fellowships, and diversity and inclusion.

“Controllers for a Cause is a program focused on the CPA shortage and building awareness of the amazing CPA career options in both public and corporate accounting,” states Neil Brown, Controllers Council Executive Director. “Students need to know that CPA careers can be fast track, financially rewarding, and offer great opportunities for women and minorities.”

Financial and corporate controllers are often CPAs with public accounting backgrounds. And controllers manage corporate accounting departments that require CPAs for a variety of functions including tax, audit, financial analysis, financial reporting, and more. The shortage of CPAs and accountants is well documented, with the percentage of students who attain accounting degrees falling nearly 11% between the 2017-2018 academic year and 2021-22, according to federal postsecondary education data.

“Addressing the talent shortage within the profession is our top priority and we welcome the Controllers Council’s generous focus on this worthy cause,” said Jan Taylor, the AICPA’s academic-in-residence.

ABOUT Controllers Council

Controllers Council™ is a national member association, community and platform of more than 100,000 Controllers, CFOs, and corporate accounting and finance professionals focused on career development and training, best practice resources, networking, recognition and more. Programs include continuing professional education (CPE), a national Career Center, strategic research studies, webcasts with expert panelists on trending topics, articles and whitepapers. Controllers Council publishes the annual CFO/Controller Sentiment™ Study, the Corporate Finance & Accounting Talent Study, the CFO/Controller Financial Performance Index™ (FPI); and produces the annual Controller of the Year™ Awards, Meet the Controller™ Interview Series, the upcoming Controllers 2027™ Predictions Panel and study, and the Controllers for a Cause™ Scholarship Fund. For more information, visit www.ControllersCouncil.org, or call Executive Director Neil Brown at 630-710-4710.            

About AICPA & CIMA

AICPA & CIMA, together as the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (the Association), advance the global accounting and finance profession through our work on behalf of 597,000 AICPA and CIMA members, candidates and registrants in 188 countries and territories. Together, we are the worldwide leader on public and management accounting issues through advocacy, support for the CPA license, the CGMA designation and specialized credentials, professional education and thought leadership. We build trust by empowering our members, candidates and registrants with the knowledge and opportunities to be leaders in broadening prosperity for a more inclusive, sustainable and resilient future. For more information about the AICPA Foundation and its programs, please visit its web page.