FAITH Scholarships for Academic Excellence

Each year since its inception in 2004, FAITH celebrates the academic achievements of young leaders within the Greek and Hellenic American community by awarding merit-based scholarships to some of the community’s most promising graduating high school seniors from across the country. Recipients of the FAITH Scholarship for Academic Excellence join a network of more than 750 existing FAITH Scholars who display the exceptional scholarly intellect lauded by our Hellenic ancestors and also, a magnificent spirit of charity, community service and good citizenship which is at the very core of our Orthodox Christian values.

ELIGIBILITY

Applicants must be graduating a public, private, or parochial high school in the United States and embarking to study in an undergraduate degree program in the fall of 2024 at a 4-year accredited U.S. college or university. Applicants must be of Hellenic descent and/or Greek Orthodox faith and member of a parish. For questions, please call (212) 803-9363 or email info@thefaithendowment.org. Follow us on Facebook to stay updated.

FAQs

All applicants will be notified of the Review Committee’s decision by email in September. Award checks will be made out to the recipients and sent to the address provided in the application. Scholarships are awarded on a merit basis. Applicants have the option to include financial documents (as outlined in the application) if they would like to be considered for additional allocations based on financial need.

For more than twenty years, FAITH: An Endowment for Orthodoxy and Hellenism has been pleased to sponsor a series of merit-based FAITH Scholarships for Academic Excellence for young people of Hellenic descent and/or Greek Orthodox faith. Please carefully read the criteria and requirement details. The enclosed application must be filled out by the applicant and submitted in its entirety. All required documentation must be included with your submission (see checklist on page 3). Incomplete applications will not be considered.

CRITERIA FOR ELIGIBILITY

Candidate must be a U.S. citizen and permanently reside in the United States. If a permanent resident, proof is required.

Candidate must be a high school senior graduating from accredited public, private or parochial high school in the United States of America, and embarking to study in an undergraduate degree program in the fall of 2025 at a 4-year accredited college or university in the United States.

Candidate must be a member of a Greek Orthodox parish.

All applications must be postmarked by June 24th, 2025. Applications postmarked after this date will be marked late. Applications may be submitted at any time prior to deadline. Note that we will send an email confirmation that your application has been received. If you do not receive an email confirmation from us by July 15th, 2025, please contact our office at (212) 803-9363 or info@thefaithendowment.org. It is the applicant’s responsibility to contact our office if you do not receive confirmation.

REQUIREMENT DETAILS 

Please do not staple any items.

• Complete academic records, including an official transcript and copies of all applicable SAT, ACT, SAT Tests and/or AP exam testing records. The official transcript must include Spring 2025 semester grades. If spring grades are not finalized by the time of submission, please send latest available transcript along with an unofficial report card/progress report of Spring 2025 grades. If you are planning to submit 2025 AP scores, confirm in Section II (page 5) that you will email a copy of scores when available. Contact (212) 803-9363 or info@thefaithendowment.org for any questions.
• A copy or transcript of applicant’s Baptismal or Chrismation Certificate. NO EXCEPTIONS.
• A resume listing your extracurricular activities, school activities, volunteer work, internship and work experiences, leadership roles and/or church activities, etc.
• Responses to essay prompts. Thoughtfully answer each prompt listed in Section III (page 5). Please include on a separate page. Recommended length: 100-150 words per prompt.
• Two (2) letters of recommendation. Please choose individuals that best represent the important aspects of your accomplishments and provide us with a true picture of your background. Recommenders must fill out the recommendation forms (see pages 8 and 9), enclose both the recommendation letter and filled-out form in a signed or sealed envelope or email directly to us. You may also enclose the signed and sealed envelopes in your application packet. We recommend contacting recommenders early to ensure they have time to write a letter by the deadline. Recommendations must come from each category of individuals listed below:
  • Academic from a teacher, advisor, or program director at your high school
  • Religious/Spiritual from a priest or youth director at your parish
• Candidate must enclose a copy of the letter confirming acceptance and planned matriculation at an undergraduate college or university.
• (OPTIONAL) FAITH Scholarships for Academic Excellence are awarded on a merit basis. Applicants have the option to include the financial documents detailed below if they would like to be considered for additional financial need-based funds. If you would like to be considered for these additional funds, please submit the following documents:
  • Filled out Section VII (page 7) of the application. In calculation of expenses, detail by type: tuition, books, fees, room, board, transport, etc., and outline sources of financial funding and support by listing all financial aid: loans, scholarships, grants, assistance from parents and/or others.
  • A copy of the financial aid package provided to the student by the university.
  • A breakdown of annual gross income and expenses for 2024. This schedule should show all sources of income received to meet your annual living expenses. Please contact our office at (212) 803-9363 or info@thefaithendowment.org if you need an example.
  • Copies of your 1040 tax forms for the last three years (full tax return for 2024 and first two pages from 2023 and 2022). In circumstances of any reported income or loss on the schedule of gross income and expenses or on Form 1040 from a corporation, limited liability company, partnership or trust, you must supply a copy of any such entity’s income tax return (Form 1120, 1065 or 1041) along with such entity’s financial statements prepared by its accountant. In circumstances of divorce, applicants must provide copies of both parents’ tax returns. If necessary, please submit a statement explaining any extenuating circumstances. Please be sure to block out all Social Security numbers.
  • If applicable, include a personal statement with an explanation of any special/extenuating circumstances.
• In the event that the candidate graduated high school in 2024 and participated in a gap year, the candidate must provide a statement that includes how and where they spent the gap year and provide reasons and objectives for taking the gap year. Candidate must include two additional references that confirm their statement.
• If necessary, the candidate should be available for a telephone interview at the Committee’s discretion. Late submissions or incomplete packets will not be accepted or considered by the Committee. All applications must be received by mail.