District Scholarships

Closing Date: 1/15/26

Description:
The IASCW FFMS is dedicated as a tribute to all who worked to begin this society in 1981. This program offers post-high school scholarships of up to $2000 to use at the college, university, or trade school of choice. The Founding Fathers Scholarship applicants should be in their final year of high school. Eligible students will plan to attend an accredited college or university, a junior college, or a trade school beginning post-graduation in 2026. All students with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher, are residents of Will County, and embody characteristics of solid character, volunteer service, and peacemaking are encouraged to apply.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Complete the Application
• Complete 2 Essay Questions
• Interview at Joliet Public Library(Down Town Joliet Branch) Time TBD
• Two letters of reference.
  - One from an Academic Professional
  - One from a Coach, Volunteer Coordinator, Supervisor, neighbor, minister, etc.

Click HERE to download COVER LETTER
Click HERE to download APPLICATION

Website: https://www.idmyway.com/scholarship/scholarship.php
Closing Date:1/31/2026

Scholarship Description:    

• Applicant, parents, or grandparents must be Abri members for 3 months or more before application is submitted*
• Graduating high school senior who plans on attending an accredited college, university, or vocational school full-time for 2026-2027
  or
• Full-time student currently enrolled in an accredited college, university or vocational school for 2026-2027.
• Minimum GPA of 2.5 out of 4.0 or 3.5 out of 5.0 or higher

1. Short application
2. 60-second Video or a 500 word essay
3. School transcripts
4. Two recommendation forms

Video or Essay Requirements

Video/Essay Topics:

• What does financial independence mean to you, and what steps are you taking now to achieve it in the future?
• How did finances influence your college choice, and what factors mattered most in your decision?

Video

• 60-second video/commercial
• Video format guidelines: File size limit is 300 MB. Acceptable file formats are .MPG; .MOV; .AVI; .WMV.
• The video will not be judged on the quality of the production, but the message itself. View Top 10 Tips for Directing a Scholarship-Worthy Video

Essay

• 500 word essay
• Essay format guidelines: double spaced, 1” margins, 12 point Times New Roman font, 500 words or approximately 2 pages in length. No longer than 700 words, approximately 3 pages in length.

Website: zonta.org
Closing Date: 1/15/2026

Click HERE for More Info
Click HERE for APPLICATION

Scholarship Description
Zonta Young Women in Leadership Award recognizes young women, ages 16-19, for demonstrating leadership skills and commitment to public service causes, and encourages them continue their participation in public and political life.

Click HERE for FLYER
Click HERE for APPLICATION

Abri Credit Union Scholarships
$1,000 scholarship for graduating high school senior
$1,000 scholarship for currently enrolled college student

Eligibility

• An Abri Credit Union member or the child/grandchild of an Abri Credit Union member

• The student, parent(s), or grandparent(s) must be an Abri Credit Union member in good standing 
for 3 months prior to the date of the application

• Either

• A graduating high school senior who plans on attending an accredited college, university or vocational school full-time for the 2026-2027 school year. A check will be cut to the institution once the student has been accepted. 
   
• A full-time student attending an accredited college, university or vocational school during the 2026-2027 school year

Deadline: 01/31/26

Website: https://www.sarahsinntv.org/post/youth-voice-award-2026
Closing Date: 2/28/2026

Scholarship Description:
The Youth Voice Award invites high school students (ages 14–18) to use their creativity to help end the cycle of relationship violence in their communities. Students may submit an original project through writing, art, video, music, dance, or spoken word. Two projects will be selected to each receive a $2,000 award.

Students are asked to finish the sentence, “Together, we can…” and respond to one of the following prompts:

• How does the media’s take on gender roles or “toxic masculinity” show up in your life?
• How do you think we should change the way we talk about and respond to relationship violence?
• What’s something you’d do to help break the cycle of relationship violence where you live or go to school?

Submissions are due on or before February 28, 2026. Entries will be evaluated by a panel of judges, and winners will be notified in mid-April 2026. Award winners must be Illinois residents and currently enrolled in high school.

Additional information can be found on the attached FLYER or at https://www.sarahsinntv.org/post/youth-voice-award-2026.

Website: https://horatioalger.org/scholarship-eligibility/
Closing Date: 2/15/2026

Scholarship Description:
The Horatio Alger Association is seeking students who display integrity and perseverance in overcoming adversity, and plan to pursue a bachelor’s degree. Students must have financial need and a determination to turn adversity into opportunity and pursue their American Dream.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Be enrolled full time as a high school senior in the United States
• Exhibit a strong commitment to pursue and complete a bachelor’s degree at one of the target colleges/universities on our website (complete list can be found here: Senior Scholarships)
• Demonstrate financial need ($100,000 or lower household income)
• Be involved in co-curricular and community service activities
• Display integrity and perseverance in overcoming adversity
• Minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0
• Be a United States citizen

Deadline: 03/2/2026

Click Here for APPLICATION

Click Here for More Info

Eligibility:

• Must be a graduating Illinois high school senior. 
• Must be applying to attend a university/college located in Illinois. Awards may not be deferred. If you need to change schools after being awarded a scholarship, please contact the TOI office as soon as possible. 
• Must be a U.S. citizen and resident of Illinois. 
• Must plan to attend a university/college in Illinois as a full-time student. 
• Must have a history of extracurricular activities that demonstrates a willingness to accept leadership 1·esponsibilities (student government, club officer, etc.) or a commitment to civic responsibility, social consciousness and a willingness to serve the community (community service projects, volunteer activities with local service agencies or charitable institutions, etc.) 
• Must submit a 500-word essay on The Role of Township Government in Today's Society and in the Future 
• that will include information gained from an interview with an elected township official. 
• Must submit two letters of recommendation from teachers, counselors, local officials or businesspeople. 
• Must submit an official high school transcript. 
• Must submit a cover letter and completed application form. 
• This application may be submitted by email or mailed through the USPS. All submissions must be dated and post marked no later than 12:00 AM on March 2, 2026. All emailed submissions must have attachments separated and in a .pdf format. 
   

Website: https://www.greatbraces.com/contests/2026-scholarship-program-2
Closing Date: 3/2/2026

Click HERE for FLYER
Click HERE for APPLICATION

Scholarship Description
See the attached flyer and application to apply. For current and former patients who have received full braces from Associated Orthodontics.
 

Website: www.willcfb.com
Amount: $2,000.00 
Closing Date: 3/2/2026 

Click HERE for FLYER

Scholarship Description:

All Application information must be typed on the form provided. Re-creations will not be accepted.   An electronic version is available online at: www.willcfb.com. Do NOT print on both sides of the paper. Resumes and letters of referral are not accepted. Call the Farm Bureau office with any questions/concerns at 815-727-4811 or email tracey@willcfb.com

2. To be eligible for a scholarship, parents of scholarship applicants or the applicant him or herself must be members of the Will County Farm Bureau in good standing before January 1, 2026. Anyone 23 years of age and older must have their own Will County Farm Bureau membership to apply. This scholarship is for any college or accredited school of higher learning or technology.

3. If a person has been awarded either scholarship offered by the Will County Farm Bureau Foundation in 2025 and the monies were distributed, they will not be eligible for either scholarship for 2026.

4.     If an applicant receives a 2026 scholarship offered by the Will County Farm Bureau Foundation, they will not be eligible for any Will County Farm Bureau scholarship for the following year (2027).

5.     DEADLINE RULES: The deadline for scholarships will be determined by the Foundation Board of Directors. The deadline for the 2026 scholarship application will be March 2, 2026.  NO LATE APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED!   All applications must be postmarked and/or hand delivered to the Farm Bureau office on or before the deadline date. If all information requested is not present with the application on or before the deadline date, the application will be considered incomplete.

6.     The Foundation Scholarship committee will review the applications in March and will notify the designated winners in April. All applications are judged on with personal identifiers removed. The decision of the Will County Farm Bureau Foundation Scholarship Board of Directors will be final.

7.     Please note: College freshmen will not receive their payment of scholarship funds before December 1st, 2026, and will be applied to their second semester.  College enrollment is verified after September 1st, 2026, and scholarships are not paid until verifications are received.  All other scholarship payments (Sophomore-Doctorate) will be made no earlier than August 15th, 2026.  You must be in college for the 2026-27 school year and not graduated to receive the 2026 scholarship.  The check will be sent directly to the school of enrollment and may be applied to tuition, room and board, or college fees.

8.     The number of scholarships to be awarded will be determined at the Foundation Annual meeting by the Foundation Board of Directors. This year, twenty-six (26)-$2,000.00 scholarships will be provided to high school seniors and twenty-six (26) - $2,000.00 scholarships will be provided to college students completing their sophomore year through possible doctorate.

9.   Applications are to be delivered/ mailed to the following location: Will County Farm Bureau Foundation, 100 Manhattan Rd., Joliet, IL 60433

Closing Date: 3/31/2026

Click Here for Application

Click Here for Flyer

Scholarship Description:

Completed application

• Verification of parent or guardian’s income
• High school transcripts
• ACT or SAT scores
• Academic reference (written)
• Personal reference (written)
• (1) Page handwritten essay
• Return before March 31 (or postmarked by March 31)

For application: Call 815-467-0211 or email application request to FPASF1966@aol

Website: https://saveabandonedbabies.org/scholarship
Closing Date: 3/1/2026

Scholarship Description:
While Illinois law requires that the “Baby Safe Haven” Law be taught in public high schools, we recognize that not all students may have received this information, whether due to scheduling, absence, or other challenges. As a result, many young people remain unaware of this life-saving law. The Morgan Jayne Hill Scholarship was created to change that. Each year, this competition helps spread awareness of Illinois’ Safe Haven Law while empowering students to share its importance within their communities.

The scholarship is open to Illinois high school seniors who will enroll in college or trade school in the fall of 2026. Applicants may submit either an essay (up to 500 words) or an original artwork designed to raise awareness of the Safe Haven Law. Submissions must be completed through the online Scholarship Application by March 1, 2026. All entries will be reviewed by the Scholarship Committee, and winners will be announced by May 1, 2026.

This year, we will be awarding six scholarships: two $1,000 Scholarships for the best Essay, two $1,000 Scholarships for the best Artwork, one $500 Scholarship for the best Essay Runner-Up, and one $500 Scholarship for the best Artwork Runner-Up.