Southern Scholarship Foundation: Rent-Free Housing and Education for Life
The Southern Scholarship Foundation (SSF) provides rent-free housing and a supportive community to students who demonstrate academic merit and financial need. Since 1955, the Southern Scholarship Foundation has helped thousands of students with outstanding academic abilities, good character, and financial need realize their dream of a college education. SSF operates 26 houses across Tallahassee, Gainesville, and Fort Myers, Florida, partnering with Florida State University, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee State College, University of Florida, Santa Fe College, and Florida Gulf Coast University to increase access to higher education by providing students with rent-free living and learning communities.
History and Overview
The Southern Scholarship Foundation was officially incorporated in 1955 in Tallahassee, Florida. The program began with a handful of young men living in a repurposed army barracks. As of 2025, the organization states that it has served over 10,000 students since its inception.
The Southern Scholarship Foundation's mission is to support students who lack financial resources, demonstrate excellent academic merit, and exemplify good character to attend higher education institutions through rent-free housing. There are currently 26 homes state-wide that serve 470 students. SSF is a rent-free scholarship housing program!
Scholarship Details and Eligibility
The SSF does not provide direct monetary tuition scholarships; its primary support is in the form of housing. Qualified students attending Florida A&M University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida State University, Santa Fe College, Tallahassee Community College, or University of Florida are awarded scholarships in the form of rent-free, cooperative living housing adjacent to their campus.
Students must be accepted into one of the partner institutions: Florida Gulf Coast University, University of Florida, Santa Fe College, Tallahassee Community College, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), or Florida State University. SSF determines financial need by the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) number on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which serves as an index score representing need. SSF's maximum EFC threshold is $7500.
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Application deadlines are November 1 and April 1 each year. Applications for ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ-๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ are now open!
Cooperative Living Model
The core of the SSF program is its cooperative living model. Beyond rent-free housing, SSF is a living and learning community. While receiving rent-free housing, the students experience an "Education for Life" while living cooperatively with up to 17 residents. The cooperative living program fosters leadership and instills essential life, professional, and leadership skills.
Students accepted into the program participate in the maintenance of the following: preparing family-style meals, completing "work jobs," or chores, and attending required House meetings. Students are encouraged to participate in various leadership positions such as House Manager, House Officers (House Cleaning Supervisors, Business Managers, Treasurers, Social Chairs, Media Coordinators), and other roles. The House Managers act as the residents' and SSF's Directors of Student Affairs' primary point of contact and liaison between the foundation and the residents. Students interested in the community may apply to become an SSF Ambassador, exceptional students selected to be the "faces" of the foundation.
Student Affairs and Support
SSF has two Directors of Student Affairs, one representing North Florida (TCC, FAMU, FSU) and one managing the Central Florida Houses (UF, FGCU, Santa Fe). The "Social Work" role is apparent in the Director of Student Affairs' duties and responsibilities. Agency is accepting MSW 2nd year and Advanced Standing. However, as an intern to the Director of Student Affairs, students may need to adjust their schedule to help support after-hour events, meetings, or other Student Affairs Business, which may include meetings on the weekend. Video or audio taping one-on-one meetings with residents is not permitted, and students are not required to have liability insurance. The agency is accessible by bus and directly across from FSU's Doak Campbell Stadium.
Spotlighting Resident Scholars
SSF celebrates Baileyโs dedication and professional growth. Ryancy is an Economics major in the Class of 2026 at Florida State University and an SSF Resident Scholar since Spring 2023. Heโs served as a House Cleaning Supervisor and Business Manager for the ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ง ๐๐๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ in Tallahassee. A co-founder and former Vice-President of the Garnet & Gold Investment Club and advisor to the Multicultural Marketing Student Association at FSU, he stands out for turning resident feedback into clear action items. Recently, he spent the summer interning at First Citizens Bank in the Wealth Management division in Raleigh, North Carolina.
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Natasha is a third-year University of Florida student in Health Science, with minors in Health Disparities and Family, Youth & Community Sciences, preparing for a career in pediatric occupational therapy-and aiming one day to open a clinic offering free and reduced-cost services. Since joining SSF in Fall 2023, she has served as the ๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐จ๐ญ ๐๐๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐โs house-champion liaison, summer Business Manager, and Central Florida Ambassador. On campus, she is involved with the National Society of Black Women in Medicine and the First Generation Leadership Program, and has served as a LeadUF peer leader, Machen Florida Opportunity Scholar mentor, and Florida International Leadership Conference peer leader. In the Gainesville community, she tutors elementary students at the Willie Mae Stokes Community Center, coaches middle and high school students with Aces in Motion, and recently spent the summer as a counselor at the Florida Elks Youth Camp.
Through this program, Denise is exploring how specific APOE gene mutations affect cognition in a preclinical model. Next up? Denise will be presenting her findings on the international stage at the ๐๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ in San Diego this November. Davidโs role has already included a wide range of responsibilities: assisting with calf births, administering IV and intramuscular injections, tagging and entering data, and ensuring the overall health and quality of life for the animals on the farm. This immersive experience reflects Davidโs commitment to developing practical skills and making meaningful contributions in his field. Bailey is an SSF resident scholar pursuing a dual degree in ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ and ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก at Florida State University, and this summer she's been actively involved at the DBPR in ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก and the ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ฏ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ, as well as ๐๐๐ฌ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ.
Community Engagement and Recognition
Quite an honor to be selected by Grateful Giving for last quarter's grant! We extend our most sincere gratitude to Bank of America for their generous support to Southern Scholarship Foundationโs resident scholars and for helping us continue making higher education accessible to more students. As featured in ๐ช๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐'๐ฌ ๐๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ ๐๐ถ๐ณ ๐๐ช๐ฅ๐ด๐ต, Amy continues to ignite passion and excellence in her students, making Latin vibrant, accessible, and meaningful. SSF is hosting a ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ: ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐๐๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ & ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐๐จ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง with advisors from the Office of National Fellowships | FSU. Learn how to fund study abroad, undergraduate research, and other nationally competitive awards, and get practical guidance on building a strong application. Southern Scholarship Foundation provides rent-free housing and a supportive community to students who demonstrate academic merit and financial need. We are deeply grateful to the members of the Education National Leadership Council for their commitment to supporting meaningful nonprofits and driving lasting change in communities across the country: Ajua Burrs, Alexandra Kocher, Christian Epstein, Christopher Bishop, Dr. David Burton (PhD, MBA, BBA, PMP), Hasin Sadat, CPA, Hemant Ahire, Indira S, Jason Kentzel, Jonathan H. Westover, PhD, MPA, AF-CIPD, SFHEA, Krystle N. Interested in joining or learning more about a Grateful Giving Leadership Council near you?
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