There are many helpful resources. If you are a current college student, the Financial Aid Office or Student Success Center at your college or university can likely assist. Resources online for all students include:  

• Creating Your StudentAid.gov Account : Everything you need to know about StudentAid.gov accounts in under five minutes   
• Pro Tips for the FAFSA® Form | Federal Student Aid: Tips to help students and families successfully complete the FAFSA form   
• Applying for Financial Aid With the FAFSA® Form – YouTube: Brief videos that simply explain the FAFSA form and how to apply for federal student aid

With only a few exceptions for scholarships, the Community Foundation's scholarships are awarded to applicants who have high financial need. Applicants with household income exceeding $100,000 are less likely to be awarded, but applying will allow you to be considered for targeted scholarships.

Students/families seeking financial assistance should begin the process by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form or online. Through detailed information provided on the application, a FAFSA Submission Summary is issued. The Submission Summary includes your Student Aid Index (SAI). Applicants are required to enter the SAI from the Submission Summary or the estimated SAI from the Student Aid Estimator.

We suggest using the Federal Student Aid Estimator found at this link: https://studentaid.gov/aid-estimator/. After you enter your student income, parent income and cost of attendance at your prospective academic institution, it will calculate an amount based on U.S. Department of Education SAI formulas.

Complete the Federal Student Aid Estimator found at this link: https://studentaid.gov/aid-estimator/. This will calculate an estimated SAI based on U.S. Department of Education SAI formulas.

Yes, the majority of Grand Rapids Community Foundation scholarships are one-time awards. You may submit a new application each year if you continue to fit the scholarship’s criteria. If you received a renewable scholarship, you will be notified by the Community Foundation staff and reminded to re-apply.

Your personal statements are very important. Your responses help the scholarship committee get to know more about your dreams and your plans to achieve them. This is your opportunity to share your unique story and to stand out among other scholarship applicants. Each response is reviewed as part of the selection process. Applicants are encouraged to provide clear, thoughtful responses that help the reader get to know you and what you stand for. Personal narrative statements should be at least 500 words.

Most awards range from $2,000 to $5,000, depending on the scholarship fund. The average award is $2,000. Checks are processed electronically and submitted directly to the college once you have accepted the scholarship award.

There are other factors that are considered when determining financial need such as number of family members and the cost of attendance at the academic institution. Additionally, some scholarships are reserved for specific majors or student groups, resulting in fewer eligible applicants. As a general rule, if your Student Aid Index (SAI), as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), is more than the cost of attendance at the school, you will not qualify for financial need-based scholarships. Likewise, if the school provides a large sum merit award or other aid (other than loans), you may not qualify for financial need-based scholarships.

All applicants will be notified of decisions by email to the email address provided on their application by the second week in May.

• Bestcolleges.com streamlines the process of gaining financial aid for college with a comprehensive scholarship database, and step-by-step guide to the FAFSA.
• Campus Pride provides information and a college search for colleges in the U.S. with resources, programs and services to support LGBTQ and ally students.
• College Navigator provides an easy resource for you to compare all colleges and their costs in a uniform format.
• FAFSA is the U.S. Department of Education FREE Application for Federal Student Aid Web Site.
• FastWeb matches students to scholarships, a source of local, national, and college-specific scholarships.
• Grand Rapids Center for College Success (T2C Studio) has resources to help local students; from application deadlines to paying for college.
• KnowHow2Go helps you understand the steps you need to take to make your college dreams a reality.
• MIStudentAid provides information and related links about financial aid specifically for Michigan students.
• Scholarships is a popular, free college scholarship search and financial aid information. When you create a personal profile, they will present you with complete and accurate info on the most relevant, attainable college scholarship awards.