Guardian Scholars

About: Awards between $1,500-$3,000 administered by Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).

Deadline: June 1

Eligibility: 1) High school senior, 2) Enrolling in vocational school, college or university, 3) A current or former dependent of LA County Court.

Contact: Carolyn McGee, cmcgee@casala.org, (323) 859-2888 ext 6327

About: Bill Bishop and the Bishop Law Office are pleased to offer scholarships to motivated foster youth students to assist them in furthering their education.

Deadline: January

Eligibility:

• Currently enrolled at an accredited high school, college, or university in the U.S.
• Must be enrolled as either an undergraduate or in the final year of high school
• Have been in public or private foster care for the 12 consecutive months leading up to and including their 18th birthday; OR have been adopted or placed into legal guardianship from foster care after their 16th birthday; OR they must have been orphaned for at least one year at the time of their 18th birthday.
• be under the age of 25 as of Jan 15, 2016
• Scholarship is for undergraduate studies only
  

About: Participants become eligible for a number of scholarships by attending the Celebration graduation event sponsored by LA County DCFS and UFC.

Deadline: End of February

Eligibility: Graduating high school

Contact: Cassandre Castanon at UFC 

About: $5,000 renewable award for former/current foster youth towards vocational/college expenses through the Chafee Grant Program.

Eligibility: (1) Be a current or former foster youth who was a dependent or ward of the court, living in foster care, between the ages of 16 and 18 (2) Youth who are/were in Kin-Gap, a non-related legal guardianship or were adopted, are eligible only if the youth was a dependent or ward of the court, living in foster care, between the ages of 16 and 18 (3) Not have reached your 22nd birthday as of July 1 of the award year

Contact: (888) 224-7268, specialized@csac.ca.gov

About: Non-renewable scholarship for up to $5,000 through the Change a Life Foundation.

Deadline: March 18

Eligibility: 1) Foster youth and former foster youth that are graduating seniors with a 2.75 GPA or better, and 1350 SAT score or better 2) Planning to attend a 4-year school (transfer students with a 2.5 GPA or better may apply), 3) Are from California.

Contact: Change a Life Foundation Scholarship Program page.

About: Up to $5,000 to $10,000 per year, or as much as the fund will allow, through the Darko Rapotez Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Eligibility: Scholarships will be awarded on the basis of academic excellence and need.  

About: Listing of scholarships for students who received foster care on Fastweb.

About: Foster Care to Success administers several scholarships including: Foster Students Education Foundation, Casey Family Scholars, and Tangles Hearts. Scholarships range in value from $5,000 to $10,000.

Deadline: March 

Eligibility: 1) Foster care or ward court for at least 1 yr. by 18th b-day, 2) Under age of 25 by March 31 of the year they apply, 3) Enrolled in or have applied to college or post-secondary training program.

Contact: (800) 950-4673, scholarships@orphan.org

Get help paying for college by submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

About: Friends of Foster Children offers scholarships between $500 and $1,000.

Deadline: Early to mid-March

Eligibility: 1) Current or emancipated foster youth, 2) Continuing their education beyond high school.

Contact: (626) 445-4542

About: Were you fostered or adopted by a gay or lesbian parent? Want to win a few dollars for school? Apply now for the Gay/Lesbian Adoptive/Foster Parent Scholarship through Child Support Lawyer LA. Win a $750 scholarship: $500 towards your tuition and $250 towards living expenses. A $250 donation will also be given to an adoption or foster-related non-profit organization.

Deadline: September 30, 2016 at 11:59pm PST

Eligibility:

• Your adoptive or foster parent is gay or lesbian.
• You are at least 18 years old when applying.
• You are enrolled in am institution of higher learning. Your course load must be at least 6 units / credits. Applicants from community, public, and private colleges, as well as graduate schools are invited to apply.
• Must provide government issued proof of identity and school registration.
• Must maintain, and provide proof of, a cumulative 2.0 G.P.A.

About: $7,000 scholarships awarded through the Horatio Alger Southern California Scholarship Program.

Deadline: October 25 at 11:59pm EST

Eligibility: California students who have exhibited integrity and perseverance in overcoming personal adversity and who aspire to pursue higher education.

Contact: Online application

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship honors excellence by supporting outstanding community college students with financial need to transfer to and complete their bachelor’s degrees at the nation’s top four-year colleges and universities. The Foundation provides up to $40,000 per year to each of approximately 85 deserving students selected annually, making it the largest private scholarship for two-year and community college transfer students in the country.

About: $1,000 annual renewal for high school senior from the National Foster Parent Association Scholarship.

Deadline: March

Eligibility: 1) Foster parent/biological parent/or guardian is a member of NFPA, 2) Applied to college, university or vocational school.

Contact: (800) 557-5238, info@nfpainc.org

About: The NSORO Foundation provides non-merit based academic scholarships to youth in foster care and to "aged-out" students.

Contact: (404) 574-6763, info@thenf.org

About: Up to $5,000 per academic year through the Orangewood Children's Foundation. 

Deadline: Within 30 days after the first day of class.

Eligibility: 1) Declared a dependent of Orange County, CA, 2) Under the age of 25 at time of each new application, 3) Accepted to an accredited university, community college, or

About: Promises2Kids, formerly the Child Abuse Prevention Foundation, offers scholarships is specifically for San Diego foster youth.

Contact: (858) 278-4400, info@promises2kids.org

About: The Common Scholarship Application uses one online application to access more than 100 scholarships through the San Diego Foundation. The Daddy Long Legs scholarship is specifically for San Diego foster youth.

Deadline: February 5

Eligibility: Varies by scholarship. Almost all scholarships require San Diego County residency.

Contact: scholarships@sdfoundation.org, (619) 814-1343

About: General undergraduate, vocational and medical/graduate scholarships through the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara.

Deadline: January 31

Eligibility: Scholarships available to students who are graduates of Santa Barbara county high schools.  

Contact: (805) 687-6065

About: $3,000 per year for up to 5 years through United Friends of the Children.

Deadline: Referrals accepted July - January each year

Eligibility: 1) Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, 2) Resident of Los Angeles County, 3) Applied to a 4-year college or university.

Contact: Linda Ramos, (213) 975-1418