Detroit Economic Club Scholarship

The purpose of the Detroit Economic Club Scholarship Program is to assist students from Detroit and Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties in pursuing a program of undergraduate education.

Up to two renewable scholarships of $2,000 each will be awarded to students entering college as a freshman in the fall. Scholarship recipients may reapply in each of three additional years, if appropriate.

Award determinations will be made with the assistance of the Detroit Economic Club Scholarship Program Advisory Committee.

The scholarship materials are available online on the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan Website at http://cfsem.org/scholarships

March 15th is the deadline for applying.

BACKGROUND

The Detroit Economic Club Education Endowment Fund was established to provide educational scholarships to selected individuals residing in the metropolitan Detroit area to attend post-secondary institutions. The Fund has been created with contributions from the Detroit Economic Club.

WHO MAY APPLY?

To be eligible, applicants must be a graduate of a high school located in the City of Detroit, or Wayne, Oakland, or Macomb counties and entering their first year of college in the fall.

Employees of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and their dependents, members of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan Board of Trustees and their dependents as well as the members of the Scholarship Advisory Committee and their dependents are ineligible for scholarship consideration. Employees of the Detroit Economic Club and their dependents are also ineligible for scholarship consideration.

WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA FOR SELECTION?

• Strong scholastic performance while in high school or significant academic improvement in each successive year, achieving the equivalent of a 3.2 average in the last two years or at graduation.
• Exemplary leadership and character as demonstrated by extra-curricular activities, service in the school and the community, volunteer involvement and paid work experience.
• Academic honors received, class rank and standardized test scores.
• A written personal statement that describes your educational plans and career goals, and motivating factors and important experiences which have helped to shape your personal philosophy and future goals.
• Special consideration is given to students who have overcome specific hardships to achieve their personal and educational goals. Applicants should describe the hardship(s) faced and overcome in the Personal Statement on the online application.
• Applicants must demonstrate financial need by the completion of the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Financial Aid) online at www.fafsa.gov. A copy of the online FAFSA application must be submitted to the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan to determine the financial need of the applicant.
• Application or acceptance as a full-time, first year student at an accredited post-secondary educational certificate/degree program. Such institutions must be tax-exempt educational institutions under the Internal Revenue Code.
• All awards will be made without regard to race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or sexual identification.

WHAT ARE THE AWARD CONDITIONS?

• If an award recipient withdraws from the educational institution, the award will be cancelled and the unspent portion, if any, will be returned to the Foundation.
• If a recipient chooses to take a course or series of courses in a tax-exempt educational institution other than the one to which they were originally admitted, or if they wish to transfer to another taxexempt educational institution, the Detroit Economic Club Scholarship Program Award will not be forfeited if the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan is notified in advance of such transfer.

HOW WILL SCHOLARSHIP AWARD PAYMENTS BE MADE?

• Award payments will be made to the Financial Aid Office, or its equivalent, of the educational institution in the name of the educational institution. Payments may be applied toward tuition, or miscellaneous educational expenses as designated by the recipient.
• Award payments will be made as soon as (1) the recipient has signed and returned the Terms of Grant Agreement to the Foundation, (2) the recipient has notified the Foundation of the college/university in which they intend to enroll, (3) the college/university has verified the student’s enrollment, and (4) the college/university has verified that it will not reduce previously awarded grant aid as a result of this award, unless required by federal or state law.
• Awards are subject to state and federal income tax guidelines.

ARE AWARDS RENEWABLE?

• Once an applicant has received a Detroit Economic Club Scholarship Program Award, they are eligible to reapply for scholarship aid for up to three additional years during which they remain a fulltime student in a degree/certificate program at an accredited educational institution and maintain a grade point average of 2.5 (or better), and fulfills the other criteria of the program. Renewal is not assured, however.
• Recipients denied renewal no longer qualify for reapplication.
• Applicants eligible for Scholarship renewal will be contacted by the Foundation prior to the end of the academic year in which they received their current award.

HOW DO I APPLY?

• Register to access the application portal by February 15th: https://cfsem.fluxx.io/apply/student
• Apply at https://cfsem.fluxx.io/
• The deadline to apply is March 15th