It’s that time of year when high school seniors are busily completing and submitting college applications, and, in many cases, when families develop increased apprehension about the daunting task of paying for college. One great way for future students to ease this burden is to secure scholarship money. With that pursuit in mind, the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation has announced that their Universal Scholarship Application is open on their website as of 12 p.m. on December 7, 2022. Hopeful applicants have until 12 p.m. on February 1, 2023, to submit their information.
The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation, currently led by President and CEO Brian Treece, has an impressive history of support of the educational pursuits of the young people of Findlay and the surrounding communities. They established their first scholarship over 20 years ago. In the years since, they have been able to grow to now award more than 200 scholarships annually. This year, there is an incredibly generous total of over $420,000 available to award, and the process is so simplified that students are able to submit only one application to match to any of the 140+ funds available, aptly coined the Universal Scholarship Application. Note that in some situations, they may be required to submit supplemental items such as letters of recommendation and essays.
The funds are possible because of partnerships formed between The Community Foundation and philanthropic individuals and groups in Hancock County and the surrounding communities. Their establishment is one example of many that demonstrates the Foundation’s commitment to improving the quality of life for the people of Hancock County.
The scholarship page on The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation’s website, located at community-foundation.com/scholarships, is easily navigable and packed with helpful information for those desiring assistance in their educational pursuits. A downloadable PDF document of all 2023 scholarship opportunities can be found on the Foundation’s scholarship page. This document notes items including whether or not financial need is considered in the decision-making process for particular funds and what minimum grade point averages need to be, if they are considerations. Each fund has unique criteria, which can be viewed by interested applicants and their families. This page also has filtering capabilities where interested students can search by application type, current grade level, high school location, and/or categories including various sports and the arts.
Once one familiarizes themselves with the many opportunities, students can then find a helpful list outlining which documents to gather in preparation for completion of the application, and then, when ready, can create an account and conveniently complete the Universal Application via a portal on the Community Foundation’s scholarship page. Additionally, there are a few scholarships that must be applied to outside of the Universal Application. Information on the particulars of these can be found on the scholarship page as well.
The scholarship application is not only open to seniors in the Class of 2023, but there are also several scholarships available to current and returning college students. There is such a vast array of opportunities that most can find something that fits their needs.
For additional information, Andrea Clements, Scholarship and Business Process Manager at the Community Foundation, can be reached at aclements@community-foundation.com or (419) 425-1100.
