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2024 Scholarship Application Process is Now Open

Community Foundation scholarships are offered annually for high school seniors and college students, as well as adults. Scholarships are for students who will be attending a college, university, trade school, or community college this fall. Most scholarships are for one year, but some are 2-year, some 4-year, and some are renewable. Each scholarship may have its own eligibility requirements, but there is only one common application to complete. Please read all the instructions below before applying for scholarships.

The deadline to submit an application is 8:00 p.m. on April 10, 2024.*

*Please note that we have extended our scholarship application deadline. This is due to continued delays of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The deadline extension prioritizes students and allows them to provide this important information used in determining financial need as part of the selection process.

Click here to sign up for text reminders about our scholarship process.

Applying for Scholarships

Am I Eligible?

Before applying you should determine if you are eligible for one or more scholarships. To do so, review the Scholarship Eligibility Checklist below. This checklist will help you determine if it is worth your time to complete the common application.

Scholarship Eligibility Checklist

How Much Are Scholarships Worth and Other Frequently Asked Questions

This year, the Community Foundation is expected to award more than $700,000 in scholarships. The average scholarship is about $3,000. Find out when scholarships are announced and the answers to other frequently asked questions by clicking the link below.

Find More Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

How to Apply

Once you have determined that you are eligible for one or more scholarships, you’ll need to complete the common application. Amy Wiles, Director of Scholarship Impact, walks through the scholarship application process in the video below. Please note the video references the original application deadline. The final date to submit the scholarship application is now April 10, 2024.


The common application process can be accessed by signing into our scholarship application site. If this is your first time using the site, you’ll need to begin by creating an account. Once logged in, the application will be available. Applicants can work on completing the questions all at once or in stages, saving the application and logging back in as needed. The application must be submitted by 8:00 p.m. on April 10, 2024. Incomplete or hard copies will not be accepted.

To create an account in the online system, applicants will need an email address and a password. Applicants are strongly encouraged to use an email address that they will have access to even after graduating from high school because if awarded a scholarship, there are some extra steps to be completed in the online system during June and July. In other words, avoid using email addresses issued by your high school, as they are not usually accessible after graduation.
The common application requires the following: 

  • Basic information about who you are (name, address, birth date, etc.)  
  • A summary of your extra-curricular experiences (activities, volunteering, jobs, etc.)  
  • A transcript of your academic record. (An unofficial transcript will work.) 
  • A personal narrative (Click here for helpful tips on writing your personal narrative.)
  • A letter of recommendation. (For more information about this, see the FAQ section.) 

Optional: You have the option of submitting a copy of your FAFSA Submission Summary or FAFSA Confirmation Email, which is what you receive after submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This is not required, however, we strongly encourage you to submit your FAFSA Submission Summary so that you can be considered eligible for the many scholarships that consider financial need. If you intend to submit an SAI number, do not submit your application until you have received either a confirmation email that displays your SAI or a FAFSA submission summary for 2024-2025. You can save your application while you wait for this information. We anticipate that SAI numbers will be available in March.

Apply for Scholarships
 
After you submit your application, the online system automatically matches it to any scholarships for which you are eligible. Sometimes you may be matched to a scholarship that requires some additional information, which you can review and consider submitting. (See the FAQ section for additional information.) 

Please see our FAQ section for more information about our scholarships and the application process. If you need additional information, you may also contact Amy Wiles, Director of Scholarship Impact, by email or at 319-243-1359.