The North Georgia Community Foundation has opened the application period for scholarships it administers, and is offering some new scholarships this year.
The deadline for high school seniors and non-traditional students to apply is March 15.
A majority of the scholarships available are for high school seniors who are graduating this year. Each scholarship fund is established by an individual donor or association and therefore has its own specific purpose and eligibility criteria. Awards vary in size depending on the amount available in the fund. A list of the scholarships can be found at www.ngcf.org/scholarships.
In addition to the established scholarship opportunities that have been offered with the annual scholarship round in past years, the Foundation has a number of new scholarship funds that have opened or have grown in the past few years:
*The GHS Class of ’64 Scholarship Fund, which will be awarded for the first time to a graduating senior at Gainesville High School, was funded as the class’s second project and is a way for the class to show gratitude to a school and to teachers that had a profound impact on them.
*The Coleman, Chambers & Rogers First Responders College Fund will award a scholarship opportunity to either a current First Responder/EMS worker in Gainesville/Hall County or their children/grandchildren.
*Graduating seniors in Franklin County will benefit from two scholarships this year: the Franklin County High School Scholarship Fund or The Energizes Others Scholarship Fund, which will be given to an employee or child of an employee of the AutoZone Distribution Center in Lavonia.
*A scholarship that opened in 2017, the Donald Moss Scholarship Fund, has extended its impact to graduating seniors at Dawson County High School. The fund will be awarding six eligible seniors with scholarships that total $15,000 over the course of four years. This fund was established by Moss’s estate because of his passion for Dawson County and education.
*In Forsyth County, The Sheepdog Connection Scholarship was established in 2016 in memory of Ryan FitzGerald. Fitzgerald was lovingly called ‘sheepdog’ because he had an attitude of service above self. To honor his legacy, this scholarship is offered to a high school senior from Lambert High School who demonstrates the passion and desire to be impactful to those he or she meets.
*The Lake Blue Ridge Civic Association Scholarship was established to create an opportunity for students in Fannin County to receive a scholarship to further their education; this is the second year for this scholarship.
*Taking an approach to award students who have the desire to major in music, with a primary focus in strings, The Gainesville Symphony Orchestra Scholarship will be awarded to a Hall County senior.
“North Georgia Community Foundation is proud to work with donors to fulfill their philanthropic desires,” says Michelle Prater, President & CEO of NGCF, “We are delighted to watch these scholarship funds continue to grow and new funds come to fruition so that students in our area can have these opportunities to help further their education.”
Students in the Foundation’s 15-county service area of Banks, Dawson, Fannin, Forsyth, Franklin, Habersham, Hall, Hart, Jackson, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, and White counties are eligible to apply for scholarships applicable to them. Students may apply online for the scholarships. Applications will be accepted through March 15, 2018, unless otherwise specified.
