Prince William County Scholarships: Opportunities for Academic Advancement

Prince William County is committed to fostering the academic growth and potential of its residents. This commitment is demonstrated through a variety of scholarship opportunities designed to support students at different stages of their educational journeys. These scholarships, offered by both the Prince William County Community Foundation and other organizations, aim to alleviate the financial burden of education and empower students to become contributing members of society.

Scholarships Offered Through the Prince William County Community Foundation

The Prince William County Community Foundation is dedicated to sustaining healthy and vital Prince William County communities now and into the future. By helping to improve the quality of life in our community, we are promoting community solutions through research and actions that will advance the common good. The Foundation’s objective is to help build strong communities where we promote social, environmental, and economic health through various initiatives for the residents of Prince William County.

The Prince William County Community Foundation offers several programs and initiatives designed to support the residents of Prince William County. These include:

C.H.O.W. Wagon: This initiative offers multi-layered support to County residents most in need of resources to combat food insecurity and hunger. In Prince William County alone, 14,000 children in our community go hungry during the summer months while not in school. Children exposed to food insecurity are of particular concern to PWCCF and our C.H.O.W. Wagon Initiative given the implications scarce food resources pose to a child’s health and development.
Micro-Grants for Educators: These small, one-time-only, cash awards are given to Educators for short-term educational projects. The Micro-Grant for Educators program is open to educators in Prince William County, Manassas City, and Manassas Park.
Health Initiative: The Prince William County Community Foundation’s Health Initiative is working to collectively help improve the health and well-being of the residents in Prince William County. In collaboration with other community entities, the Foundation will provide information and share resources with other healthcare establishments to develop a plan that would collectively improve and promote strategies to improve the health of the residents.

Scholarships for High School Seniors

The Prince William County Community Foundation provides scholarships to high school seniors attending a Prince William County Public School that demonstrate a passion for serving their local community and have a financial need to pursue post-high school course of study at either college/university or other post-secondary educational institutions. Without assistance from outside sources, students may have trouble paying for an education after high school in order to enter the workforce and become contributing members of society.

Additional Scholarship Opportunities in Prince William County

Beyond the Community Foundation, numerous other organizations offer scholarships to students in Prince William County. These scholarships cater to a diverse range of academic interests, career aspirations, and personal circumstances.

Specific Scholarships Available

Apple Federal Credit Union (Prince William County) Scholarship: This scholarship awards \$3,000 to two graduating PWCS high school seniors who intend to pursue studies in Business and/or Finance.
Ashley Blue Scholarship: This scholarship awards \$1000 to one graduating PWCS high school senior who has experience as a student-athlete and is attending a 2 or 4-year accredited college or university.
Career & Technical Education (CTE) Scholarship: This scholarship awards \$1,000 to up to three students who have completed a VDOE-approved CTE sequence of courses and plan to continue education through a Professional Certification program, an Associate in Science (A.S.) Degree, an Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) Degree, or a Bachelors in a field related to their CTE course studies.
Dr. Edward L. Kelly Scholarship: This scholarship awards \$1,500 scholarships to up to three graduating PWCS high school seniors who intend to pursue studies to enter the teaching profession.
Dr. Pamela Kaye Gauch Memorial Scholarship: This scholarship awards \$5,000 to up to four graduating PWCS high school seniors who exemplify the well-rounded characteristics that Dr.
Dr. Robert L. Eichorn Scholarship: This scholarship awards \$1,000 to up to three graduating PWCS high school seniors who have participated in a nontraditional program such as: Independence Nontraditional School, GED/ISAEP, Computer-Based Instruction (CBI), Juvenile Detention Center, or PACE West.
Freddie L. Smith Scholarship: This scholarship awards \$10,000 to one graduating senior from Potomac High School who is a well-rounded individual with community service, strong academics, and school involvement, and will attend a college or university in the state of Virginia or Washington, D.C.
Jeremy K. Nottingham Memorial Scholarship: This scholarship awards \$1,500 to two graduating seniors from Woodbridge High School. The Jeremy K.
Lillian M. Lockheed Martin Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Scholarship: This scholarship awards \$1,500 to two graduating PWCS high school seniors who plan to pursue a career in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics field.
Woodbridge Woman’s Club CTE Scholarship: This scholarship awards \$1,500 to up to one graduating high school senior from Gar-Field High School who is currently enrolled in the Culinary programs and plans to further their education through a trade school, licensure program, or university program related to Culinary Arts.
Fairfax Alex Thomas Effort Award Fund: Support a Junior or Senior at James Madison High School and member of the Swim and Dive team.
Prince William Amin Family Scholarship Fund: Provides scholarships to graduating students from Unity Reed High School intending to pursue a degree in healthcare.
Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William AMS Opportunity Scholarship Fund: Provides scholarships to graduating high school seniors in Northern Virginia for students interested in continuing their education in the STEM fields.
Prince William Barbara Cornwell Memorial Scholarship Fund: Supports graduating seniors from Unity Reed High School in Manassas, VA seeking an education beyond high school.
Arlington Cameron and Virginia Dye Scholarship Fund: Supports graduating seniors from Arlington County Public Schools. Awards are based on community or school activities/service, academic achievement and financial need.
Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William Celebrate Cherie Scholarship Fund: Supports a Northern Virginia resident pursuing a postgraduate degree in physical therapy.
Fairfax, Loudoun Charles Homer Barton Scholarship Fund: Supports children of police officers in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties. Five scholarships are awarded each year.
Denise Dowse Drama Scholarship Fund: This scholarship benefits the drama and drama technology seniors of Carter G. Woodson High School (formerly W.T. Woodson High School).
Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, Other Dorothy Jean Coates Scholarship Foundation Fund: Benefits nontraditional students enrolled in a college or university.
Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William Elizabeth Koury Scholarship Fund: Supports a graduating high school senior who lives in Northern Virginia, demonstrates academic excellence, financial need and plans to pursue a career in medicine.
Fairfax Jackson Robert Greene Memorial Athletic Scholarship Fund: Supports one female and one male varsity athlete from Herndon High School who could be "counted on" both on and off the field.
Fairfax John Borden Memorial Scholarship Fund: Supports Computer Clubhouse members who are graduating seniors from Fairfax County Public Schools with a STEM-related degree objective and a record of giving back to the Community.
Fairfax John Franklin Hiller Memorial Fund: Supports seniors at West Springfield High School who have demonstrated interest, skill and promise in the writing of poetry.
Fairfax, Loudoun Kelly Elizabeth Baker Memorial Scholarship Fund: Supports a graduating senior who is a member of St. Mary of Sorrows Catholic Church/Knights of Columbus, Council 8600. Winner is selected based on artistic, scholastic and spiritual development during the student's senior year.
Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, Other Leslie Richardson Memorial Swan & Sparrow Scholarship Fund: Provides scholarships to benefit students studying musical performance, jazz studies or choral conducting at a historically or predominantly black college or university (HBCU).
Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William Leslie V. Forte Scholarship Fund: Supports minority students attending the Northern Virginia Community College.
Fairfax William J. Count Me In Scholarship: The Prince William County Parks Foundation Count Me In Scholarship helps support children in our community by providing funds to offset the costs for classes, camps and programs.
Virginia Sheriffs' Institute (VSI) Scholarship program: This scholarship was established to provide an opportunity for young people across Virginia to pursue an educational curriculum in criminal justice.

External Scholarship Programs

1890 National Scholarship: The 1890 National Scholars Program provides a chance for High School Seniors and current college students to receive a full ride ( 4-year scholarship) to one of the 19 designated 1890 land-grant universities.
Beauty & Wellness Professionals Scholarship: BeautySchoolsDirectory.com is offering \$2,500 scholarships to students, including DACA recipients, who are pursuing a career in the beauty industry.
Buffalo Soldiers 9th & 10th Horse Cavalry Association Scholarship: The Ladies Auxiliary of the 9th & 10th (Horse) Cavalry Association will award a \$1,000 academic scholarship to a college-bound high school senior.
Gospel Worship Experience Essay Scholarship: All High School Seniors graduating in the application year are eligible to apply for a Gospel Worship Experience Scholarship Program Scholarship.
Hampton University Alumni Scholarship - NOVA Chapter: The Northern Virginia (NOVA) Chapter of the National Hampton Alumni Association is offering scholarships for the academic year to eligible incoming Hampton University freshmen from the Northern Virginia region.
Northern Virginia Kappa Achievement Foundation Scholarships: These annual scholarships are awarded to students living and attending high school in Northern Virginia, based on their academic achievement, extracurricular activities including organizations participation and community service.
Prince William Chamber of Commerce Scholarships: The Prince William Chamber Foundation will award \$2,500 scholarships in five categories this year.
Virginia Association of Women Judges (WAWJ) Scholarship: VAWJ is awarding three (3) scholarships to Virginia high school seniors in the amounts of \$1,000, \$750 and \$500.

The Count Me In Scholarship Program

The Count Me in scholarship program is provided by the Prince William County Parks Foundation and the Department of Parks & Recreation. The scholarship was developed to support children's participation in life-enriching leisure opportunities. Scholarships are available to youth of eligible families who reside in Prince William County. If approved, a scholarship of \$200 dollars will be allocated for each age-appropriate child in the household. Scholarships will be limited to one program per dependent in the household. The Prince William County Parks Foundation Count Me In Scholarship helps support children in our community by providing funds to offset the costs for classes, camps and programs.

Hylton Foundation Scholarships

Prince William County Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism along with generous funding from the Hylton Foundation want to send your students to the parks this summer. Scholarships are available to youth of eligible families who reside in Prince William County.

Navigating the Scholarship Application Process

The application process for each scholarship is unique to the directions written by the awarding organization. More scholarship information will continue to be added to our page as shared with SPARK, so continue to check for more opportunities. These scholarship opportunities, and many more, can be found through Naviance or by speaking to your school counseling office.

It's important to note that inclusion in the Naviance database does not constitute sponsorship or endorsement of the sponsoring organization or the scholarship by the Prince William County Public Schools. “Scholarships offered by organizations other than PWCS are neither sponsored nor endorsed by Prince William County Public Schools. These opportunities may utilize technology tools that have not been assessed by the Prince William County Public Schools Department of Information Technology. College institutions will represent specific military branch ROTC programs.

The Significance of Scholarships

Scholarships provide an opportunity for many people to earn an education. A scholarship is financial support awarded to a student based on academic achievement, need, or other criteria for the purpose of schooling. There are various types of scholarships and criteria that are determined by the awarding organization, which also specifies how the money is to be applied. Funds are typically used for tuition, books, room, board, and other expenses directly tied to a student's educational costs.

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Addressing Financial Barriers

Shopping for back-to-school essentials is becoming a real struggle for families whose household budgets are stretched to the max by surging inflation. Parents are expected to spend about \$661 to \$864 on K-12 school supplies for the academic year, according to estimates from consulting firm Deloitte and the National Retail Federation - the highest average cost for supplies since the National Retail Foundation began tracking this metric. Combine this with over 5,000 students in Prince William County not receiving the necessary vaccinations to start a school year - and you understand that our County has a major concern regarding school readiness.

Just 36% of parents said they would be able to pay for everything their kids need for the academic year, according to Morning Consult's annual back-to-school shopping report. As our new economic landscape takes a bigger bite out of budgets, many Prince William County households are scrambling to afford these annual purchases for their children, particularly our local African American, Hispanic, and Latino population.

Supporting Community Well-being

We are committed to sustaining healthy and vital Prince William County (PWC) communities now and into the future. By helping to improve the quality of life in our community, we are promoting community solutions through research and actions that will advance the common good.

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