Community Foundation of Sarasota County Scholarships

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County believes an investment in education is an investment in our community's future. And we believe that all who wish to further their education and increase future potential for success should have an equal chance to take advantage of the opportunities available to them. That's why we are proud to offer our Traditional Scholarship Program to all residents, graduating high school seniors, and current college students who graduated from high schools in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto Counties.

This scholarship application has scholarship opportunities for a variety post-secondary education opportunities including Professional Certification, Technical, Vocational, Trade, Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate.  The institution you are attending must be accredited.

• A current resident of Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto, or Charlotte counties, or be a graduating high school senior or graduate of a high school located within one of these four counties.
• Younger than 24 years of age as of December 31st of the year in which they apply (if you will be 24 years of age as of this date, please visit our page for Students 24 Years of Age or Older).

The Traditional Scholarship Application is connected to 70 different scholarship funds.  Each fund has its own set of criteria.  This application will ask you a variety of questions to determine your eligibility for these funds as well as to give the reviewers insight into you and your plans.  Your application will be reviewed by committee members from our community.

Application Requirements:

This application has required documents

1. Your transcript.  Transcripts must include your name, grades for all courses taken, and cumulative GPAs.  Unofficial transcripts and screenshots of portals are accepted as long as they have that information.  If currently in High School your transcript must have grades from your first quarter in 2022  If you are currently in college your transcript must have grades from Fall 2022.
2. Your resume.  Resumes should include work experience, extracurriculars, honors, leadership roles, etc.
3. Your FAFSA Student Aid Report (SAR).  FAFSA SARs must be the full document length (9-11 pages).  If you are unable to complete your FAFSA prior to the application deadline or if you have other reasons for not submitting this document, then contact us at scholarships@cfsarasota.org to discuss an alternative source of financial documentation.  All conversations on this matter will be kept confidential.
4. Your Essay.  If you have completed the Common Application you may use that essay in place of our prompt.  If not you must write an essay to address the following prompt.  We all have a background, identitiy, interest, or talent so significant that it influences our educational and career aspirations.  Write 250-650 words explaining the factors that have led to the educational and career aspirations you plan to pursue.  You may be eligible for certain funds that have additional essays, these will become available to you in the essay section after you have filled out your entire application.

Optional Documents:

1. One Letter of Recommendation is optional.  Your Letter of Recommendation cannot be from a relative.
2. Additional Attachments are optional.  If you have anything else you wish to share with the reviewers there is an Additional Attachment option.  This can be a second Letter of Recommendation, an artwork, a writing sample, a project, etc.