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.
The deadline to apply is 8:00 p.m. on March 12, 2025.
How to Apply
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Before applying you should determine if you are eligible for one or more scholarships. To do so, review the Scholarship Eligibility Checklist. This checklist will help you determine if it is worth your time to complete the common application.
Complete the common application in our online system. After you submit your application, the online system automatically matches it to any scholarships for which you are eligible.
The application must be submitted by 8:00 p.m. on March 12, 2025. Incomplete or hard copies will not be accepted.
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.
External Application Scholarships
The Community Foundation also administers a number of scholarships that have an application process that is “external” to us (e.g., applications are handled by schools or community groups, not CFNEIA). These scholarships DO NOT use the common application. For a list of those funds and how to apply to them, click the link below.
Visit our Scholarship FAQ page to find answers to commonly asked questions about our scholarships and the application process. If you need additional information, contact Staci Mueller, our Director of Scholarship Impact at smueller@cfneia.org or 319-243-1359.
