03 Oct 2018 Foster Care Alumni of America Scholarship!

2018 Foster Care Alumni of America Scholarship!

At Foster Care Alumni of America, we believe in all people from foster care. That is why we launched a scholarship program for foster care alumni 25 and over, to help fill a gap in educational opportunities for older alumni.

There are an estimated 12 million foster care alumni in the U.S. However, very few–only 3 to 10 percent–graduate from college. The majority of scholarships for foster care alumni limit selection to students younger than 25 and do not fund graduate programs. Thus, once alumni turn 25, they find very few resources to help pay for the rising costs to continue their education. Based on empirical evidence, across the United States we know:

• Individuals rely on financial support from their parents well beyond age 25 (Arnett & Schwab, 2013).
• The debt burden for college continues to increase (U.S. Department of Education, 2013).
• Less than half of full-time students complete their baccalaureate degree within four years (www.collegecomplete.org).
• Foster care alumni reported leaving college due to financial reasons (Cortney, Dworsky, Brown, Cary & Vorhies, 2011).
• At age 26, foster care alumni begin to achieve stability in their lives and re-attach to post secondary education (Cortney, Dworksy, Brown, Cary & Vorhies, 2011)

To help reduce some of the financial strain alumni experience, we intend to award scholarships worth $2,000 to two qualified foster care alumni this year.

Qualifications: 

• Membership with FCAA
• Evidence of goal setting and taking steps to meet goals
• Articulation of challenges, navigating society, and seeking support
• Evidence of leadership and community service
• One letter of recommendation (see instructions below regarding submitting letters of recommendation)
• Unofficial transcript
• Lived at least 12 months in foster care
• At least 25 years old or older
• Enrolled at an accredited college
• Seeking certification or a degree
• Completed at least 60 college credits
• Demonstrated financial need
• At least 2.4 GPA

Selection criteria will be based on:

• Membership with FCAA
•  Evidence of goal setting and taking steps to meet goals
• Articulation of challenges, navigating society, and seeking support
• Evidence of leadership and community service
• One letter of recommendation (see instructions below regarding submitting letters of recommendation)
• Unofficial transcript

Instructions:

1. Complete application form!  

2. Notify the individual you are seeking a letter of recommendation from to submit their letter of recommendation to info@fostercarealumni.org. The subject line in the email should include the first and last name of the scholarship applicant and the word “recommendation”. Example: “Email Subject Line: John R. Chandler- Letter of Recommendation”.

3. Email your unofficial transcript to info@fostercarealumni.org. The subject line in the email should include the first and last name of the scholarship applicant and the word “transcript”. Example: “Email Subject Line: Amirah V. Watson- Transcript”.

Note: Incomplete applications will not be evaluated.