Scholarships

Creating opportunities for success

Chris Brown, Baylor graduateThe Community Foundation administers a variety of scholarships to help individuals, families and businesses create a brighter future by encouraging education.

During 2012, we were able to award $322,000  in scholarships to students who might not otherwise have been able to afford college tuition.  Since the beginning of this Community Foundation program, donors have made possible $3.5 million total to help young men and women through scholarships.

Many other scholarship applicants did not receive assistance from us — not because they were not deserving, but because we did not have enough money available to distribute. You can help send enterprising students to college by making a gift to the Community Foundation College Scholarship Fund or by setting up a named scholarship fund.

How our scholarships work

If you are a student seeking assistance with a Community Foundation scholarship, read the material below or contact Sheree Wilkerson, Scholarship Manager, with additional questions:

  • Choosing scholarship winners: Volunteer review committees review information submitted by applicants and consider eligibility requirements, such as enrollment at a particular high school or specializing in a particular field of study.  Criteria include financial need, academic performance, extracurricular activities, volunteer/community service or other talents. Applicants typically are notified before the school year ends.
  • How you can apply: Follow the eligibility requirements and deadlines stated in the guidelines below. Guidelines for certain scholarships  also may be available from your guidance counselor if you are a student at school in the Birmingham City system. Please note that each scholarship has its own criteria, so read the guidelines carefully before applying or contact Sheree Wilkerson, Scholarship Manager, if you have questions.

INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS

Click on the file for each scholarship & download the appropriate application. If current deadlines are past, updated application forms will not be available until next year:

  • Award for Excellence (open to Ramsay High School students only, awards made to one male and one female senior, next deadline 2014)
  • Community Foundation Scholarship (open to students at high schools in the Birmingham School System, next deadline 2014)
  • ELG Scholarships (open to students invited by a separate mailing, next deadline 2014)
  • Colonel James M. Sims Memorial Scholarship (open to members of the Marine Corps Reserve, 4th Marine Division, Antiterrorism Battalion, next deadline 2014)
  • AT&T 50th Anniversary Civil Rights Scholarships (established by the AT&T Foundation to commemorate the significant events of 1963 with scholarships to 10 seniors in Birmingham City Schools, applications available through district guidance office and school guidance counselors)
  • NEW! The Cromwell Trust Scholarship (open to aspiring students and adults for career advancement and/or education, primarily in the performing arts and musical theatre; application deadline April 19, 2013): CromwellTrustScholarshipApplication2013 (NOTE: This is an editable Word document, so you can fill it out, print it out and send it by mail as explained in the application or by e-mail to swilkerson@foundationbirmingham.org.)

For donors

If you are interested in setting up a Scholarship Fund with a minimum gift of $50,000, contact Erin Stephenson.

  • Establishing or adding to a Scholarship Fund: You can make a gift in any amount today to the Community Foundation Scholarship Fund benefiting students at Birmingham City Schools or the Award for Excellence benefiting students at Ramsay High School by writing a check, directing a stock transfer or on-line.
  • How we serve you: Our Scholarship Manager makes sure that information is distributed to guidance counselors and potential applicants, and works with volunteer committees to determine scholarship choices. We process applications, send scholarship checks to educational institutions and keep track of student progress in compliance with the terms of each scholarship.