No. Although most of our scholarships are intended for students at a two- or four-year college or university, some may also be used at other accredited educational institutions such as trade schools.

While most of our scholarships are for graduating high school seniors and current college students, some are also available to adults pursuing post-secondary education. A very small number of scholarships are available to graduate students. 

It depends. If you have an open scholarship award, you are not eligible to apply. (Check your dashboard or contact us if you aren’t sure.) If you previously received a one-time award, you are eligible to apply again.

No. Simply log on using your original email address. Then edit your user profile by clicking on your name in the upper righthand corner of the screen and going to Edit My Profile. Don’t forget to hit Save once you have made your updates!

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CFECT MAP OF REGION BY COUNTY

A teacher, academic advisor, counselor, coach, spiritual leader or work supervisor can write your letter. The person cannot be a relative.

No. All materials must be submitted electronically through your online application. If you have problems uploading them through the Scholarships Portal, contact us at Scholarships@cfect.org for assistance.

• FAFSA stands for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
• To apply for federal student aid – including federal grants, loans and work-study opportunities – students have to first fill out a FAFSA form online. Complete the FAFSA form here.
• Completing and submitting this form is free and gives students access to the largest source of financial aid available to pay for their education.
• Many states and colleges use your FAFSA information to determine your eligibility for the financial aid they will supply. Some private financial aid providers may use your FAFSA information to determine whether you qualify for the assistance they can provide.

FSS is your FAFSA Submission Summary. It is generated and sent to you from the federal government once you submit the FAFSA. See a sample here.

• SAI stands for Student Aid Index. It is calculated through the FAFSA to provide an evaluation of a student’s approximate financial resources they can contribute to their post-secondary education for a specific year.
• The SAI determines your eligibility for some federal grants, and colleges use it to assess your eligibility for other student aid.

• Contact your school's financial aid office to inquire about the notification.
• If you receive it after you have submitted your CFECT scholarship application, send it to scholarships@cfect.org.

That’s okay! Check one or more areas of study that you feel most strongly align with your interests. See a list of some possible majors.

• In most cases, no. You only need to submit the General Application to be considered for all scholarships for which you are eligible.
• A small number of scholarships require you to answer an additional question beyond the General Application.
• The Bulkeley Alumni-Harold J. Arkava Scholarship and the Cahill Black Point Education Fund Scholarship each have their own application.

Our goal is to notify all applicants by June 30.

• Log on to the Scholarships Portal and complete the Follow-up Form on your dashboard with your student ID, the name of the school, and the address of the school’s financial aid or bursar's office.
• Submit the Follow-up Form as soon as possible so that we can send payment to your school by August 1.
• Scholarship checks are sent directly to your school, never to you the recipient.
• If we do not hear from you by September 30 of the award year, your scholarship may be forfeited.

No. All scholarship checks are made payable to the college or postsecondary institution you are attending and mailed directly to the financial aid or bursar's office.

Yes. We require a new application with a new essay and a new letter of recommendation.

No. Multiyear scholarship recipients are not eligible to reapply.

• It might. Financial aid policies vary.
• We recommend you contact your school’s financial aid office and ask if outside scholarships will displace any grants they might offer you.
• If your college proposes a reduction in your grant assistance (not in a loan or work-study program), we may be able to hold your scholarship award for the following semester or year. Contact us to discuss your situation.

• If you decide to wait a semester or even a year to continue your studies, you may defer your scholarship. If you aren’t sure whether you will continue your studies, please contact us to discuss whether to hold or cancel your award.
• If you decide not to attend once your scholarship award has been sent to your school, the school should return the funds to the Community Foundation.
• If we do not hear from you by September 30 of the award year, your scholarship may be forfeited.

• Submit your year-end transcript by June 15 to confirm your continued eligibility for the scholarship. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, as long as they include your name, student ID, the name of your institution, your cumulative GPA and your complete grades to date.
• If your transcript shows that you are in good standing academically, we will process your next award payment.
• If your transcript shows that you have had difficulties in the past academic year, contact us to discuss how you plan to get back on track.
• Read more about how to Renew a Multiyear Scholarship

We communicate primarily by email. We strongly recommend you use an email address that you will continue to use after high school graduation. Remember to check your junk/spam files for emails from “@cfect.org” or “@grantinterface.com” and add us to your safe sender list.