Applicants must meet the following qualifications:
Application Request
Application Submission Deadline – Friday March 1, 2024
Applicants must submit the following information online along with their application:
- Female, residing in Contra Costa County, California
- A minimum 3.5 cumulative unweighted GPA
- Be active in community service
- Be in need of financial aid - Your Student Aid Index (SAI) from your FASFA Submission Summary (FSS) must be no more than $32,000
- A graduating High School Senior or Junior/Community College student who will be attending a 4-year College/University in the Fall
Application Request
- If you meet the qualifications and guidelines above and would like to apply for the BSF Scholarship, please request an application by sending your name, current school attending and email address to bwscholarshipfund@gmail.com.
- It is the applicant's responsibility to request and ensure that all requested information from Counselors/School Advisors and Recommenders are sent directly via the Counselor/Student Advisor Verification and Transcript Form and/or Recommendation Letter Form by the application deadline date. Incomplete applications shall be given no recognition and no response.
- Questions regarding the online application process can be sent to bwscholarshipfund@gmail.com
Application Submission Deadline – Friday March 1, 2024
- The online application will be closed at midnight on Friday, March 1, 2024. Thus, all completed application packages must be received by Friday, March 1, 2024.
- After applications have been reviewed, the Scholarship Committee will conduct personal interviews with the semi-finalists to assist in the final selection process.
Applicants must submit the following information online along with their application:
- Family Member Letter - a PDF of a letter from a family member describing your family's financial situation and why you need financial help to attend college. Please name the file as follows: your last name, your first name - Family Member Letter (ie Doe, Jane - Family Member Letter)
- Documentation of Financial Need - a PDF copy of the page(s) of your Eligibility Overview from the FASFA Submission Summary (FSS) that shows ONLY your 1) Name, 2) Estimated Federal Student Aid, and 3) Student Aid Index (SAI). Please ensure that NO OTHER personal information (ie Social Security, Birthdate, Driver's License etc) OTHER THAN your name, estimated federal student aid and SAI are shown on the page(s) you upload. If you have submitted your FASFA form but not yet received your FASFA Submission Summary (FSS), please complete the Federal Student Aid Estimator on the FASFA website (https://studentaid.gov/aid-estimator/ ) and print out the Estimated Federal Student Aid and the Estimated Student Aid Index (SAI) using the "print or download estimated information" button at the end of the estimate and upload a PDF copy of the estimated information. Please name the file as follows: your last name, your first name – Financial Need Documentation (ie Doe, Jane - Financial Need Documentation). Payment of the BSF Scholarship is contingent upon the receipt of the scholarship recipient's Eligibility Overview from the FASFA Submission Summary (FSS). If you receive your FSS after completing your application, you can send your Eligibility Overview from the FSS to bwscholarshipfund@gmail.com
- School Counselor/Student Advisor Verification and Transcript Form - Please request that your school Counselor/Student advisor email bwscholarshipfund@gmail.com requesting the link to the Counselor/Student Advisor Verification and Transcript form as they will be required to 1) verify that you are a full time student in good standing at their school and are ready to graduate and move on to a 4 year College/University in the Fall AND 2) upload a copy of your transcripts. In the subject line of the email, please ask them to title the email as follows: your last name, your first name - Request Link for Counselor/Advisor Verification and Transcript Form.
- Cost of Attendance - a screenshot or print out of the Cost of Attendance from the College/University's website. Please save the Cost of Attendance as a PDF, make sure your name is at the top of the document and name the le as follows: your last name, your first name – Cost of Attendance (ie Doe, Jane - Cost of Attendance)
- College Financing Plan - if received, a PDF copy of the College Financing Plan or Financial Aid Summary from the College/University. Please save the College Financing Plan as a PDF, make sure your name is at the top of the document and name the le as follows: you last name, your first name – College Financing Plan (ie Doe, Jane - College Financing Plan)
- Personal Interest Letter - Please write us a short personal letter describing your interests, academic intentions and how this scholarship would impact your education. Please save the letter as a PDF and name the file as follows: your last name, your first name - Personal Interest Letter (ie Doe, Jane - Personal Interest Letter)
- Recommendation Letter - Counselor/School Advisor or Teacher - Please request that the person providing your School Counselor/Student Advisor or Teacher Recommendation Letter email bwscholarshipfund@gmail.com requesting the link to the Recommendation Letter Form so that they may upload a copy of their recommendation letter. In the subject line of the email, please ask them to title the email as follows: your last name, your first name - Request Link for Recommendation Letter Form.
- Recommendation Letter- Community Service/Work - Please request a recommendation letter from someone in the community who knows you through community service or work and ask them to email bwscholarshipfund@gmail.com requesting the link to the Recommendation Letter Form so that they may upload a copy of their recommendation letter. In the subject line of the email, please ask them to title the email as follows: your last name, your first name - Request Link for Recommendation Letter Form.
- Awards/Extra Curricular Activities - A list of your awards, honors, community service, and/or work, school, athletic or other activities. It should include the Award/Activity name, description, time period and hours per month.
- Essay - Please upload a PDF of the essay you submitted for your college applications OR write a 1-2 page essay on the prompt: "If you had to describe your biggest mistake, what would it be and what did you learn from it?". Please save the essay as a PDF and name the file as follows: your last name, your first name - Essay (ie Doe, Jane - Essay)
- After applications have been reviewed, the Scholarship Committee will conduct personal interviews with the semi-finalists to assist in the final selection process.
- Evaluation of all applications and selection of the award recipient(s) will be made by the Blackhawk Scholarship Fund.