Fairfield County's Community Foundation Scholarship

Scholarship Sponsored by Fairfield County's Community Foundation

Introduction
Fairfield County’s Community Foundation administers a competitive scholarship program for students with ties to Fairfield County. The program includes multiple individual scholarship funds, each of which may carry its own additional requirements. Scholarship America handles application processing and disbursement on the Foundation’s behalf.

Who may apply (Eligibility)

Graduating high school seniors
- Must be a graduating senior from any high school located in Fairfield County.
- Generally must be in good academic standing (typically a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale or an equivalent, unless a particular fund specifies otherwise).
- Must demonstrate financial need.
- Must plan to attend an accredited two- or four-year college, university, or post‑secondary vocational program (full‑time or part‑time enrollment is acceptable unless a particular fund requires otherwise).

Current undergraduate and graduate students
- Must be a current undergraduate (not an incoming freshman) or a graduate student enrolled in an accredited college, university, vocational school, or specialized study program.
- Must have a Fairfield County connection as a native, a Fairfield County high school graduate, or a current resident of Fairfield County. (Exception: this residency/graduate requirement does not apply to Sacred Heart University students applying for the Megan Cobb & Jason Kern Scholarship.)
- Must demonstrate financial need.
- Must show a record of academic achievement (generally at least a 2.7 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale unless a specific fund states otherwise).
- May be enrolled full‑ or part‑time unless a fund limits enrollment status. Awards may be applied to undergraduate or graduate study as specified by the particular fund.

Awards overview
- Applicants who submit the online application will be considered for scholarships in two broad groups: awards for graduating high school seniors and awards for current undergraduate or graduate students.
- The number of scholarships and the amounts awarded from each individual fund are decided annually by the Foundation. Funds offering awards in a given year will be listed on the Fairfield County’s Community Foundation website.
- Unless otherwise stated by a specific fund, awards are intended for undergraduate and graduate study and may be renewable according to the fund’s terms.
- A student may receive up to two scholarships for which they are eligible. Applicants do not need to select individual awards; completing the online application will automatically place you in consideration for all relevant funds. Recipients must demonstrate financial need.

Award disbursement and deferral
- Scholarship America processes payments for the Foundation. Payments are issued in August. A check is mailed to each recipient’s home address and is made payable to the recipient’s school on the student’s behalf.
- If a student interrupts or discontinues enrolment, any unused portion of the award must be returned to Scholarship America. After receipt, Scholarship America will forward returned funds to Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, identifying the student and the award.
- Award deferral is permitted for a maximum of one semester or one academic year (no more than one year in total).

How applicants are notified
- Applicants will be informed of award decisions in late July. Not every applicant will receive an award.
- Notifications are sent by email. When creating your account, use a personal email address you will retain access to rather than a school or employer address.
- Add studentsupport@scholarshipamerica.org and the program’s official email address to your safe‑sender list to ensure you receive notices.

Selection process
- Recipients are chosen based on factors that typically include academic performance, leadership and involvement in school and community activities, work experience, demonstrated financial need, a written statement of educational and career goals, unusual personal or family circumstances, and an essay.
- Depending on the individual fund, Scholarship America may select recipients and/or finalists. All decisions made through this process are final.

Application requirements (documents to upload)
To complete your online application you must upload:
1. An official, current transcript. Grade reports are not acceptable. The transcript must show:
- Student name
- School name
- Grades
- Credit hours for each course and the term in which each course was taken
2. A FAFSA Summary Report that includes your name and Student Aid Index (SAI). (If you are not eligible to submit the FAFSA, upload a brief explanatory note in place of the FAFSA Summary.)

Note about test scores: If you submit SAT or ACT scores that do not appear on your high school transcript, you must upload an official copy of those scores separately. If you upload a college transcript, separate SAT/ACT scores are not required.

Your application will be considered incomplete until all required materials are uploaded electronically.

Additional notes
- Some funds have extra eligibility criteria; those requirements will be noted where applicable.
- By applying, you agree to abide by the Foundation’s and Scholarship America’s application and selection procedures.