Fairfield County's Community Foundation Scholarship

Fairfield County’s Community Foundation has established a scholarship program for high school and college students from Fairfield County.

Applications Open - Deadline April 8, 2026 4:00 PM ET

Eligibility

Graduating high school senior applicants to the Fairfield County’s Community Foundation Competitive Scholarship Program must:

• Be a graduating senior from any high school in Fairfield County.
• Be in good academic standing (generally a cumulative GPA of 2.7 or better on a 4.0 scale or the equivalent unless specified by specific fund).
• Demonstrate financial need.
• Plan to attend an accredited two-year or four-year college or university or post-high school vocational training unless specified by specific fund. Students may be enrolling in either full-time or part-time study unless specified by the specific fund.

Current undergraduate or graduate applicants to the Fairfield County’s Community Foundation Competitive Scholarship Program must:

• Be a current undergraduate (NOT an incoming freshman) or graduate student enrolled in a program at an accredited college, university or vocational school, or specialized study program
• Have a connection, as a native resident, high school graduate, or current resident of Fairfield County. NOTE: This criterion does not apply for students enrolled at Sacred Heart University applying for the Megan Cobb & Jason Kern Scholarship.
• Demonstrate financial need.
• Demonstrate a history of academic achievement (generally a minimum cumulative 2.7 GPA on a 4.0 scale or the equivalent unless specified by specific fund)
• Students may be enrolling full-time or part-time unless specified by the specific fund. Awards may be used for graduate or undergraduate study unless specified by the specific fund.

The program consists of many separate scholarship funds administered by Fairfield County’s Community Foundation. Some funds have additional eligibility requirements as noted below.

Awards

With a submitted scholarship application, students will receive consideration for the following scholarships:

• Scholarships for Graduating High School Seniors
• Scholarships for Current Undergraduate and Graduate Students

Distribution amount and number of awards for each fund is determined annually by Fairfield County’s Community Foundation. Funds that have monies available to issue scholarships will be listed each year on the Fairfield County’s Community Foundation website.

Payment of awards will be sent directly to each student made payable to the student’s college on behalf of the Fairfield County’s Community Foundation. If a student interrupts or terminates attendance at school, any unused portion of the award must be returned to Scholarship America. After returned funds are received, Scholarship America will forward funds to Fairfield County’s Community Foundation with the name of the student and award identified.

Students are allowed to defer their award for one semester or one academic year, whichever is requested. No more than one year of deferral will be allowed.

Unless specified, awards are for undergraduate and graduate study and may be renewable depending on the specific fund.

Notification

Applicants will be notified in late July. Not all applicants to the program will be selected as recipients.

Notifications are sent via email. When setting up your account, avoid using a school or work email. Instead, use an active, personal email address that you will continue to have access to.

Please make sure to add studentsupport@scholarshipamerica.org as well as the program email address as safe senders in your email contact list.

Payment of Scholarships

Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of Fairfield County’s Community Foundation. Payment is made in August. A check is mailed to each recipient’s home address and is made payable to the school for the student.

Selection of Recipients

Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of:

• Academic performance
• Demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities
• Work experience
• Financial need
• A statement of educational and career goals and objectives
• Unusual personal or family circumstances
• An Essay

Students may receive up to two awards for which they are eligible. Students apply by completing the online application. Students do not need to select scholarships, but will be considered for all awards listed. Recipients must demonstrate need.

Depending upon the fund, selection of recipients and/or finalists will be made by Scholarship America. All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.

Requirements

As part of your application, you must upload the following:

• A current, complete transcript of grades. Grade reports are not accepted. Transcripts must display:
  • Student name
  • School name
  • Grades
  • Credit hours for each course and term in which each course was taken.

NOTE: If you are providing SAT or ACT test scores, and those scores are not listed on your high school transcript, you will need to upload an official copy of those test scores separately. If you are uploading a college transcript, those scores are not required.

• A copy of your FAFSA Summary Report including your name and Student Aid Index (SAI). Click here for help on downloading your Summary as a PDF (If you are not eligible to submit the FAFSA, please provide a note in place of the summary document).

NOTE: This report is generated and sent to you after your FAFSA-Free Application for Federal Student Aid has been submitted and processed. Visit fafsa.gov for details. Submit your FAFSA early to prevent delays in submitting your application.

• Letter of recommendation from your guidance counselor if wish to be considered for the Magnus Wahlstrom Leadership Award (See Scholarships for High School Seniors Tab for Details).

Your application is not complete unless all required materials are submitted electronically.