Education for Life Scholarships

The SEE THE FUTURE Fund is pleased to award scholarships to qualified visually impaired and blind students who are Colorado residents. This scholarship fund is made possible through generous donations by ophthalmologists, optometrists, opticians, staff, corporations, educators, foundations and many others with an interest in the lives of the visually impaired and blind. All scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, school and community service, and individual need. Scholarships totaling up to $42,000 may be awarded. The probable distribution will be one (1) $12,000 four-year scholarship, one (1) $10,000 four-year scholarship, one (1) $8,000 four-year scholarship, and three (3) $4,000 two-year scholarships. The Selection Committee will determine the final number of scholarships awarded and the amount of each scholarship.

In addition to the above scholarships, the SEE THE FUTURE Fund offers the following scholarships which may be awarded based on completion of the general SEE THE FUTURE application:

Please click on the following links for the more information.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE:

Any Colorado resident who submits a completed application prior to the March 1st deadline, and meets the following criteria:

For STF purposes, a Colorado resident is one who has lived in Colorado as a dependent at least one year prior to the March 1st deadline; or has held a valid Colorado ID for at least one full year prior to the March 1st deadline.

Educational Criteria:

Applicant must be enrolled as a full-time student in one of the following:

1. an entering freshman in an academic post-secondary program  

2. an undergraduate (sophomore, junior, or senior) in an academic,post-secondary program

3. a graduate student in an academic program

4. a vocational/technical school student or student who is pursuing an associate's degree from a community college                                                     

5. Certified Certificate program (such as massage therapy)

Applicants must also meet the following Vision Loss Criteria:

20/70 or less, central vision, best corrected, in better eye, and/or 20-degree peripheral field or less in better eye

or 20/40 or less, best corrected, in better eye, and associated field loss with a prognosis of further vision loss secondary to underlying disease process.

Application deadline

All applications must be emailed to Dr. Theune (twtheune@comcast.net) on or before March 1, 2025

The selections will be made by April 15, 2026

Selection process

The SEE THE FUTURE Fund screening committee will review all applications. The entire selection committee will review top candidates. Individual interviews may be arranged and will be determined based on an individual basis.

Scholarship Distribution

The scholarship award will be divided over the duration of the student's post-secondary career (two or four years) and all scholarship moneys will be sent directly to the post-secondary institution on a semester basis. The student must be enrolled full time and in good standing to receive future money. The award may be used toward tuition, fees, room & board and books.

If a recipient does not use a portion of their award within one year from selection, their award will be forfeited unless a special extension is requested (in writing) by the recipient and granted by the STF Selection Committee.