The Community Foundation is launching its 2024 College Scholarship Program for local high school students on January 2, 2024. In 2023, the organization awarded over $1.2 million in scholarships to 116 students in Palm Beach and Martin Counties.
Since 1985, the Community Foundation has offered both need- and merit-based scholarships with an aim to increase access to higher education and decrease the burden of debt for our area’s aspiring college students. The Community Foundation currently hosts nearly 130 scholarship funds, each set up by donors. Students residing in Palm Beach and Martin Counties are eligible and can apply for scholarships via the Community Foundation’s general scholarship application.
“With our donors, we recognize that scholarships are powerful because they not only change the trajectory of a student’s life, but the economic mobility of their entire family, too,” said Danita R. DeHaney, President & CEO, Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties. “Very few community foundations across the country offer scholarships, and we are proud to continue building our Scholarship Program to meet our area’s ever-growing demand, particularly for the thousands of students in our area who are the first in their families to pursue a degree.”
In its 50-year history, the Community Foundation has distributed nearly $17 million in scholarships and funded over 2,700 awards.
The application for this year’s Scholarship Program opens January 2 to those planning on enrolling in college in the summer and fall of 2024. Applications close on February 7 at 4 p.m. EST. Recipients will be notified in May, and funds will be distributed in July.
Applicants must have a Grade Point Average of 2.0 or higher, be a graduating high school student from Palm Beach or Martin County, demonstrate financial need and/or academic achievement, and be an incoming student at a college, university or vocational/trade school; some scholarships have additional criteria.
The Community Foundation’s Scholarship Committee reviews applications and matches potential candidates to scholarship funds based on a variety of criteria and several scholarships require interviews. The Committee makes awardee recommendations to the Community Foundation’s Board of Directors, which then votes to approve scholarship funding.
