StudentResources

Most of our scholarship opportunities are for students pursuing a degree in higher education who either reside or attended high school in Stark or Carroll county. Students must be accepted or enrolled in an accredited institution in the United States. While most of our scholarship opportunities are for 2- or 4-year undergraduate programs, some are for graduate or technical programs.

Scholarships at Stark Community Foundation are endowment funds created by generous individuals, families and businesses in the community. These scholarships are private dollars and are distributed by a selection committee and at the discretion of Stark Community Foundation’s Board of Directors.

The application deadline for scholarships using the General Application is April 1. Scholarships with a different deadline will be listed separately and require an additional application.

Some of our scholarships are renewable. This means that you may reapply for it again next year – however, this is not a guarantee that you will receive it every year. All applicants who wish to renew are considered equally amongst every other candidate.

Many of our scholarships look for demonstrated financial need, but some are merit-based or open to all.

You will be automatically matched to scholarships for which you qualify. However, some of our scholarships require supplemental information. If you are recommended to apply for certain scholarships, this means you have met the initial eligibility check, but the scholarship requires you to submit supplemental information. After you submit your General Scholarship Application, you will see these additional scholarship opportunities on the Confirmation Page. To view which scholarship opportunities you have successfully applied for, check the Active Requests tab on the Applicant Dashboard.

No. Recommendations must be received by the application deadline in order for your application to be complete. It isyour responsibility to follow up and encourage your references to submit their recommendation by the deadline.

Each of our scholarships have their own selection committee, made up of volunteers designated by the donor. Your application responses are kept confidential and only shared with the committee members.

We do our best to collect the selection committees’ decisions in a timely manner with the emphasis that you need to pay your tuition bill in order to register for classes. That said, most decisions could be official as early as June, while some could be in July. Award notifications will be sent by mail. You can view the status of your application(s) by checking the Active Requests tab on the Applicant Dashboard.

If you are selected for a scholarship, you will receive a letter in the mail. No further action is required from you and a check will be mailed to your school.

Checks are typically distributed in late July/early August. If you are selected for a scholarship after that, the payment will be sent to your school as soon as possible.

Please email scholarships@starkcf.org as soon as possible. Include your name, scholarship name, the college you indicated on your application, the college you have officially decided on and either the last four digits of your social security number or your new student ID number. Please note there is a $30 fee for a last-minute change in institution. Make checks payable to Stark Community Foundation with Institution Change Fee in the memo line and mail to: Stark Community Foundation, 400 Market Avenue North, Suite 200, Canton, OH 44702.

No. Scholarship funds cannot be used to pay for expenses already incurred.

Being qualified for a particular scholarship does not guarantee you will receive it. The process is competitive, and each year we receive an increasing number of applications. Therefore, we cannot award scholarships to every deserving student. We encourage you to reapply each year.

Renewable scholarships are never guaranteed, regardless of whether you reapply or maintain the requirements. Each year we receive an increasing number of applications with a limited amount of dollars to award. Therefore, we cannot award scholarships to every deserving student.