What word comes to mind when you think of the Rush County Community Foundation (RCCF)? It’s often “scholarships.” They are a significant part of what we do. Since 2001, 1801 scholarships have been awarded to 723 students totaling $2.8 million.

You know scholarships provide money for students to continue their education beyond high school. But do you know how they get started or awarded? This piece will take you through the lifecycle of a scholarship.

Starting a Scholarship

Donors have personal reasons for establishing a scholarship fund at RCCF. They may want to honor a loved one or repay a kindness they’ve received. The end goal is simple, though – to help students achieve their dreams through higher education.

Once a donor opts to establish a scholarship at RCCF, the decisions don’t end there. They must choose a name for their fund and define criteria that will determine which student (or students) will receive the award(s). Examples might include: a graduating senior, studying a certain major, attending a particular school, or having financial need.

Donors are in control of all criteria, and RCCF staff oversee the application process. This information goes into a document called the fund agreement, which keeps the donor’s intentions recorded for all time.

It takes a minimum of $10,000 to establish any fund at RCCF, including scholarships. This can be done in one gift or many over the course of five years.

Most scholarship funds are permanent, meaning they are invested. The earnings are used to create the scholarships. The original $10,000 remains in the fund to create more scholarships forever. Once the fund has reached the $10,000 threshold for a year, it will begin to award scholarships.

Applying for Scholarships

In mid-December, staff opens the online scholarship application to students. Scholarships are available to Rush County seniors graduating in the spring and currently enrolled college students. There are also scholarships for adults and non-traditional students. Remember, the donors set the criteria.

In 2021, our application moved from paper to online. There are many advantages to this new system. Students used to have to choose which scholarships to apply for and submit a cover sheet for each along with multiple copies of the application. Now the system automatically determines which scholarships a student qualifies for. This takes a lot of stress off the student and saves paper. There was a lot of backend work to make this happen, but it is a much more efficient system that will pay off for years to come.

The application is the opportunity for the student to tell his or her story and shine. Questions about their school and major, academic honors, leadership, extracurricular and community activities, employment history, and future goals make up the application.

Additionally, students need to submit the Adjusted Gross Income for the parent(s)/guardian(s) who claimed them from IRS Tax Form 1040 and their Student Aid Report (SAR). The SAR is received after filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This is completed online beginning in the fall at studentaid.gov. Students also need to request official transcripts from their school.

Applications are due in mid-February. It’s important for students to submit them as early as possible, because some scholarships require additional essays. The applicant won’t know this until after submitting, at which time they will receive a notification. Procrastination could mean missing out.

Reviewing Scholarships

Staff assigns more than 70 volunteer committee members to review and score scholarships. All committee members are required to complete a confidentiality agreement. Additionally, the online scoring system asks if they are related in any way to the applicant. If so, they may not proceed.

Generally, three volunteers are assigned to score a scholarship. Sometimes the donor(s) is involved. When this is the case, the number of volunteers must make up more than 50% of the reviewers. For example, if a scholarship has two donors scoring it, then there must also three volunteers. These are requirements established by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Another benefit to the online system is the ability for volunteers and donors who are out of state to participate. Reviewers can complete their assignments on their own schedules.

For need-based scholarships, adjusted gross income, Pell or state grants, tuition, probability of taking loans, and outside scholarships are used to create a score for need. This is an internal process and is double-checked by RCCF employees.

Most questions assign points based on straightforward items like GPA or academic honors (one point for each with a maximum of five). These types of objective questions make up the bulk of points. Applications that require additional essays involve more subjective scores and are balanced by having multiple reviewers. Reviewers are also given space to explain their decisions.

When scores are close for two or more students, each reviewer is asked to re-score the top students of other reviewers to determine the final award.

Awarding Scholarships

Once scoring is completed and awards are finalized, recipients are notified via postal mail and/or email, in May if not before. Celebrations begin!

They are recognized at RCHS awards ceremony but won’t know the amount of their scholarship/s until they attend RCCF’s celebration a week later. Students can meet donors who are able to attend.

Recipients are asked to supply a photo with a short bio to share with their donors and RCCF’s communications. They also write thank you letters to their donors.

Payment of scholarship awards is made directly to the student’s school. Per IRS regulations, these funds may be used only for tuition, fees, and books.

The cycle begins again each December and continues forever because of the generosity of donors who’ve set up permanent scholarship funds. To establish or donate to a scholarship fund or apply, please contact us at info@rushcountyfoundation.org or (765)938-1177.