Scholarship Application and Guidelines

Apply On-Line beginning February 1, 2012

Complete the application online. Please remember in order to complete your online application, you must submit the application and all the required supporting materials by the March 19th deadline.

Required Information/Attachments

Before you begin, review the list of information below for items you will need to complete for your application. 

Financial

Family financial information is a required portion of the scholarship application. Please have your parent/guardian assist with this section of the application. This information will only be viewed by Foundation staff. 

Who should complete the Financial Information section?

If you as the applicant are a “dependent,” then the Financial Information section I must be completed by your parent(s) or the adult(s) who provided your household financial support in 2011.

If you as the applicant are “independent,” then you must provide Financial Information required in section II, regarding you (and your spouse, if married). Please note, you are considered an independent student if:

  • you were born before January 1, 1989;
  • you are an orphan or a ward of the court;
  • you have ever served in the military;
  • you are married;
  • you will be in graduate school in 2012 -2013;
  • you have dependents (other than a spouse) that you support;

You have not been claimed by your parents for two consecutive years and have earned at least $4,000 in each of those years.

Transcript Either you OR your Guidance Office is required to submit an official copy of your transcript from your current high school, college or GED scores. (If you are in high school, it must include your 1st- and 2nd-quarter senior year grades.) During the application process, you will enter the contact information for your Guidance Office, as selected from a list that we provide within the application. A request for your transcript (as well as for a letter of recommendation) will then be sent to your Guidance Office. Whether we receive your transcript from you or your Guidance Office, you are responsible for making sure your transcript has been sent.
Essay One-page personal essay describing your academic and career goals, interests and achievements
Resume A list of your academic honors and awards, your extra-curricular activities at school (student government, music, art, sports, clubs, etc.), your community work, involvement in your church, and volunteer and paid work experience. Your resume should indicate how many weeks, months, or years you participated in each of these activities.
Recommendation Letter As described above under "Transcript," your completion of this application will cause a request to be sent to your Guidance Office for a letter of recommendation written by one of your teachers or faculty members. Although this recommendation must come from your Guidance Office, you are responsible for making sure it has been sent.
Special Circumstances Special Circumstances If there any family or personal circumstances that you feel should be taken into consideration by the Scholarship Committee, please write a separate statement describing the situation.
Additional Materials Any additional materials required by specific scholarship(s) for which you wish to be considered. You will be prompted during the application process when applicable.
Contact Information  The contact information for your Guidance Office can be accessed here.

“I wanted to be graphic designer since I was 12 years old,” says Alexis, a recipient of a Richard W. Pierce Scholarship and a Grantee Agency Scholarship who started attending House of Peace & Education in Gardner as a child. “HOPE made me who I am, a strong independent leader. Now, at college, I’m where I’m supposed to be. I love every minute of it.”