Scholarship and Award Opportunities

The following are a listing of scholarship and award opportunities to recognize youth and adult volunteers in youth court programs.  Click on the links under each listing for more information.

• College Scholarships

• Awards

• Internships and Fellowships

• Links to Other Scholarship and Award Listings

COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS

United States Senate Youth Program
The annual United States Senate Youth Program, established in 1962 by U.S. Senate Resolution, will be held in Washington, D.C., from March 4-11, 2006. Two student leaders from each state, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity will spend a week in Washington experiencing their national government in action. Students will visit Capitol Hill, the White House, Supreme Court, Pentagon and State Department and will each be awarded a $5,000 College scholarship for undergraduate studies.

The William Randolph Hearst Foundation will pay all expenses for the Washington Week, including transportation, hotel accommodations and meals.

Application deadlines vary by state and can be found at http://www.hearstfdn.org/ussyp/.

The Bonner Scholarship 
The Bonner Scholar Program seeks to transform the lives of students at twenty-five specific colleges and universities as well as their campuses, local communities, and nation through providing access to education and opportunities to serve. To achieve this mission, the Bonner Foundation provides four-year community service scholarships to approximately 1500 students (who are referred to as Bonner Scholars) annually. The scholarship serves those individuals who have high financial need and a commitment to service. It is designed to heighten the overall education a Scholar receives by asking students to engage in ongoing service work and helping them develop the tools and the knowledge necessary to make that work meaningful and lasting.  For more information, visit http://www.bonner.org/campus/bsp/howtoapply.htm.

Hispanic Scholarship Fund
The Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) is proud to be the nation's leading organization supporting Hispanic higher education and is committed to providing opportunities for students like you.
Our vision is to strengthen our country by advancing the college education of Hispanic Americans.

Our mission is to double the rate of Hispanics earning a college degree. Since 1975, HSF has awarded more than 61,000 scholarships in excess of $115 million to Hispanic students from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands who have attended more than 1,700 colleges and universities.

For information about scholarships available from the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, go to http://www.hsf.net/.

The Truman Scholarship
The Truman Scholarship is a $26,000 merit-based grant awarded to undergraduate students who wish financial support to attend graduate or professional school in preparation for careers in government.

For more information, go to www.truman.gov/index.cfm?TheViewID=355&flag=355&showsubs=0,129.

Southern Scholarship Foundation
The Southern Scholarship Foundation provides qualifying students with rent-free housing scholarships at select universities in Florida including Florida State, University of Florida, Florida A&M, Bethune-Cookman, and Florida Gulf Coast University.

For more information, go to www.southernscholarship.org/.

Coca Cola Scholars Foundation
The Coca Cola Scholars Foundation is open to all high school seniors in the United States from 26,000 high schools. Coca-Cola Scholars come from all 50 states and more than one-third are minorities. The Scholars represent a cross-section of outstanding young people, characterized by their educational excellence, leadership in their schools and commitment to their communities.

For more information, go to www.coca-colascholars.org/cokeWeb/jsp/scholars/Index.jsp,

AWARDS

President's Volunteer Service Awards
Americans of all ages -- individuals, families, and groups -- are answering the President's Call to Service by making a difference in their communities.  The President's Volunteer Service Award, an initiative of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, honors America's volunteers and encourages even more Americans to get involved.

For more information, go to http://www.presidentialserviceawards.org/.

Application Deadline: Ongoing

Congressional Award
The Congressional Award is a public partnership created by Congress to promote and recognize achievement, initiative, and service in America's youth ages 14-23. The Congressional Award provides a unique opportunity for young people to set and achieve personally challenging goals that build character and foster community service, personal development, and citizenship. For more information or to register for the award, visit www.congressionalaward.org/congress.

Application Deadline: Ongoing

Daily Points of Light Award
The Daily Points of Light Awards are designed to honor those who have made a commitment to connect Americans through service to help meet critical needs in their communities, especially focused on the goals for children and youth set by the Presidents' Summit for America's Future. The program is sponsored by the Points of Light Foundation, the Corporation for National Service and the Knights of Columbus, with full program funding provided by the Knights of Columbus. The award is open to any individual, group or organization actively engaged in volunteer service. Award certificates and winners are featured on website and nominations are accepted year-round (awards are given daily). For more information,  visit http://www.pointsoflight.org/awards/awards.cfm or contact:

Daily Points of Light Awards
Points of Light Foundation
1400 I Street, NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 729-8000
email: awards@pointsoflight.org

Application Deadline: Ongoing

The Jefferson Awards
Since its inception in 1972, the Jefferson Awards have honored outstanding public servants who are making a difference in this country. In 1977, the American Institute for Public Service began a breakthrough relationship with the media. The Institute reached out to newspapers and television stations in local communities and asked them to join a unique partnership to highlight "Unsung Heroes." These Jefferson Awards Media Sponsors solicit nominations of volunteers who work to better their communities.

Each Media Sponsor honors five to six Jefferson Awards winners. One representative from each Media Sponsor is chosen by the American Institute Board of Selectors for national recognition. For more information, visit http://www.aips.org/jefferson/index.htm or contact:

Mike Hyland
Executive Director
Jefferson Awards
621 Delaware Street
New Castle, DE 19720
(302) 323-9659 

Application Deadline: Ongoing

President's Student Service Award
All full-time students ages 5 and older who contribute at least 100 hours of service to the community are eligible for the President's Student Service Award. Students may be certified by their school, their college, or a community organization and will receive a specially designed gold pin with the presidential seal, a presidential certificate, and a letter from the President. Youth ages 5 to 14 who perform 50 hours of service may receive a silver pin with the presidential seal, as well as a presidential certificate and a letter from the President. For more information, visit www.student-service-awards.org  or contact:

President's Student Services Award
P.O. Box 189
Wilmington, DE 1899-0189
866-550-PSSA (toll-free)
email: pssa.info@verizon.net

Application Deadline: Ongoing

FELLOWSHIPS

The Coro Fellows Program
The Fellows Program in Public Affairs is a nine-month, full-time, post-graduate experiential leadership-training program that introduces diverse, intelligent and driven young public servants to all aspects of the public affairs arena. Field assignments, site visits, interviews and special individual and group projects and consultancies prepare Coro Fellows to translate their ideals into action for improving their own communities. Sixty-four Fellows are chosen annually each year through a highly competitive selection process. They represent a broad range of cultural, racial and economic backgrounds, ages, interests, and academic and work experience, but all are committed to excellence in public affairs.

The Fellows Program in Public Affairs is conducted in San Francisco, Los Angeles, St. Louis, New York and Pittsburgh. For more information, visit www.coro.org/programs/programs.html 

Echoing Green
Echoing Green is a non-profit Foundation that offers full-time Fellowships to emerging social entrepreneurs. Our Foundation applies a venture capital approach to philanthropy by providing seed money and technical support to individuals creating innovative public service projects that seek to catalyze positive social change. Echoing Green invests in entrepreneurs' projects at an early stage, before most funders are willing to do so, and then provides them with support to help them grow beyond start-up.

The Echoing Green network currently includes over 300 Fellows working domestically and internationally on a wide range of social issues. For more information, visit: www.echoinggreen.org.

Hearst Minority Fellowship- Indiana University Center on Philanthropy
The Hearst Minority Fellowship is designed to provide members of minority groups the opportunity to engage in the study and practical application of philanthropy, while in pursuit of the M.A. in Philanthropic Studies or M.P.A. in Nonprofit Management degree. For more information, visit www.philanthropy.iupui.edu/hearst.htm.

Nonprofit Leaders Program - The Washington Center
This program provides a unique opportunity to "do good" and learn about exciting career opportunities in the non-profit sector. The nonprofit sector includes charitable, educational, and scientific organizations; professional societies; and trade and business groups. Interning within the nonprofit sector provides a unique opportunity to explore your chosen career field while working with an organization that has a conscience. Students accepted into this program initiative receive a guaranteed award of $1,000. For more information, visit www.twc.edu.

2006 Davidson Fellows Award

LINKS TO OTHER SCHOLARSHIP AND AWARD LISTINGS

• National Service-Learning Clearinghouse