Orphan Foundation of America
Scholarship Name: Orphan Foundation of America
Description: The Orphan Foundation of America is the leader is services and scholarships for youth in the foster care system. In addition to providing mentors, internships and ongoing support to college students, they provide a large number of substantial awards to undergraduate and graduate students (however, scholarships for Masters are limited, and are not offered every year). To qualify, students must be under 25, have spent one consecutive year in foster care, or have been adopted after the age of 16. Students must be currently enrolled in a higher education program (college, university, community college or vocational school). The Orphan Foundation of America even sends care packages to award recipients three times each year to boost morale!
Award: $1,500 – $10,000
Awards per Year: Varies
Award is Open to: Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students (limited)
Major/Field of Study: Open
How to Apply/Contact: Online applications for the Orphan Foundation of America are available on the OFA website, but keep in mind that you cannot access the application unless the process is currently open.
See Also: Scholarships for Foster Youth, Scholarships for Overcoming Adversity, Scholarships for Community College
LIFE Foundation
Scholarship Name: Life Lessons Scholarship Program
Description: The Life Lessons Scholarship Program is an essay contest which asks young people who have lost a parent or legal guardian to put pen to paper and discuss their feelings in essay form. The emotional loss can often have financial repercussions as well, and the loss of one parent can make it very difficult to focus on college applications, or pay for college. The Life Lessons Scholarship Program addresses these two facets of a students struggle with the death of a parent or legal guardian by giving him or her a forum to discuss their situation and then offering scholarship dollars through the essay contest. In lieu of an essay (which should be about 500 words), students can submit a 3-minute video. The essay or video should specifically address how the lack of adequate life insurance coverage (or none at all) impacted their family’s financial situation. Students should be between the ages of 17 and 24. A total of $175,000 is being disbursed (for 2014; amount may vary year to year).
Award: $2,000 – $15,000
Awards per Year: 50.
Award is Open to: Students who have lost a parent.
Major/Field of Study: Open
How to Apply/Contact: Make sure that you review the full eligibility and submission details for written and video submissions, available on the LIFE Foundation website.
See Also: Scholarships for Foster Youth, Scholarships for Overcoming Adversity, Scholarships Contests
