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, outreach, scholarships, and fellowships.

“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,” said Neil Brown, executive director of the Controllers Council.

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.

For more information about the AICPA Foundation and its programs, please visit its web page.