St. Louis Community Foundation Scholarships: What You Need to Know
Statistics show that more than half of the college students who graduate will do so with the help of grants or scholarships. So, how are scholarships established? And how can interested students learn about them?
Some donors work directly with the college or university to support their programs. However, in many cases the St. Louis Community Foundation can be a resource, particularly if the donor wants to fund a scholarship for students that meet a defined set of criteria. Some examples of special criteria can include:
- Field of study or career goals
- Children of a company’s employees or members of an organization
- First-generation college attendance; financial need
- Geographic criteria, such as students from a specific high school, county, or region
In these scenarios, Community Foundation staff work with the donor to develop a program that matches the donor’s interests. During this process, the donor and staff work together to establish eligibility requirements, selection criteria, and determine the scholarship’s size and duration. The donor can “endow it,” which means it will be available forever; or they can fund it for a specified period of time or total amount.
The Foundation’s staff then administers the application and selection process, which can sometimes include the donor, if he or she would like to participate.
During 2019, the St. Louis Community Foundation scholarship funds are awarding nearly $1.6 million in scholarships to nearly 700 students. Read more here about the Hillman Scholars Program, just one of the scholarships available at the Foundation, and how it continues to change lives and propel young people to success.
For more information about the Foundation’s scholarship services, the scholarships available, and how to apply, visit here.
Pictured: Shawn Williams, Ed.D., graduate of Missouri State University, thanks in part to the Bertha Black Rhoda scholarship at the St. Louis Community Foundation. Currently, Shawn is an assistant elementary school principal with the St. Louis Public schools.
