Patient Advocate Foundation Scholarships

To date, PAF (along with other gracious funders) has awarded 113 scholarships totaling over $640,000, of which 50 have achieved fully degreed graduation and 25 are still pursuing their course of study.

The purpose of our scholarship program is to provide support to individuals that are legal residents of the United States of America pursuing undergraduate or graduate studies who have been diagnosed with or treated for a cancer or chronic disease (please see scholarship guidelines for eligibility details).

To be eligible, an applicant must satisfy the below requirements in full:

A) Applicant must be under the age of 25.

B) Must have been diagnosed with and/or been actively treated for cancer or a chronic illness within the past five years.

C) Must be pursuing an Associate degree or higher.

D) Applicant must write an essay on how their diagnosis has impacted their lives and future goals. (1500-word maximum)

E) Applicant must submit a copy of an acceptance letter from the college or university the applicant is planning to attend. If you are unsure of where you are going and have received multiple acceptance letters, please include all of them.

F) Applicants treating physician must complete Diagnosis Verification Form.

G) Applicant must provide two letters of recommendation from non-related persons (examples: teachers, coaches, community leaders). Recommendation letters must include their name, address and phone number within the letter.

H) Applicant must provide a high school or current college transcript; whichever is applicable. (Official transcript is required if selected)

I) Applicant must submit completed financial form that will demonstrate financial need and include a copy of the first two pages of the tax return for the individual claiming the student as a dependent. If a tax return was not filed, please provide an official letter of non-filing from the IRS and complete the Declaration of No Income Form.

Scholarship Amount and Distribution:

A) PAF's Scholarship for Survivor Undergraduate scholars are eligible to receive a scholarship of $3,000 per school year ($1,500 per semester: Fall/Spring) for four consecutive years until the student receives a maximum of $12,000 or graduates with a bachelor's degree, whichever comes first.

B) The award is paid directly to the college or university for defraying tuition, books, and other fee costs.

If selected as a recipient, the below are requirements to maintain the scholarship:

A) Complete Scholarship Acceptance Form

B) Agree to media release terms and conditions

C) Provide a personal bio (250 words or less) and self-portrait/headshots (at least 300 dpi) for publication

D) Must maintain a cumulative 2.75 G.P.A.

E) Must be a full-time student

F) Must sign an agreement to complete 20 hours of community service for the year the scholarship will be dispensed and provide PAF with a confirmation when that service has been completed to include a signature of supervisor.