Scholarship Lifecycle

Deadlines

The open application period for a Scholarship for Humanity is January 1st through March 31st.
No scholarship applications will be accepted after March 31st.
By May 31st, all Scholarship for Humanity applicants will be notified of the Foundation Trustees decision regarding their application.
If successful, the scholarship award will arrive in the hands of the recipient by September 15th.

Process for Scholarship Applications

When a completed Scholarship for Humanity Application Form is received by the Foundation via e-mail at scholarships@fccuusa.org, the applicant will be assigned to a liaison serving as a Foundation Trustee. The liaison will verify that the applicant is a member of CISV USA or one of its Chapters and will also need to collect a verification of enrollment from the applicant's chosen school. Acceptable forms of enrollment verification include: 1) an official enrollment verification from a school's Office of the Registrar or a less formal document with the applicant's name on it along with the name of the college or university where the applicant is enrolled such as a) a copy of a course schedule, b) a copy of a student ID or c) a tuition bill receipt.

 

The scholarship application will be reviewed to determine if the "for the benefit of humankind" requirement has been met, and, if so, the applicant will be directed to obtain three references using the Scholarship for Humanity Reference Forms. The applicant is asked to provide references to include 1) a teacher, professor, or academic advisor 2) an individual who knows the applicant in a non-school setting - youth leader, community volunteer, family friend and 3) a CISV member.

All referees should be instructed to send signed Reference Forms via e-mail to the liaison at scholarships@fccuusa.org or to follow the mailing directions included on the Reference Form. The scholarship application will be considered complete once all three references are received. At that point in time, the application and references will be distributed among all the Foundation Trustees along with the results of the review conducted by the applicant's liaison. If there are any questions regarding the application or his/her references, they will be compiled and forwarded to the applicant for follow up.

After the liaison has obtained any further information requested by the Trustees, a vote will be taken and by May 31st, the liaison will advise the applicant of the Foundation's decision. If the scholarship application has been approved and the enrollment verification has been received, the liaison will complete a Request for Release of Grant Funds Form on behalf of the applicant and submit it to the Foundation Treasurer. Unless otherwise directed by the liaison, the Foundation Treasurer will send the award directly to the recipient's home address provided on the Scholarship for Humanity Application Form. By September 15th, a check will be sent directly to the recipient from the Foundation Treasurer.
 

Record of Scholarship Awards

At the 1998 Annual Meeting of the Foundation for Cross Cultural Understanding and the National Board Meeting of CISV USA, the first awards for the Scholarship for Humanity were presented to Hilary Leland and Sachi Feris. Since that time, scholarships have been awarded to the following members of CISV USA Chapters: Lauren Gaspar, Erin Burger, Danielle Feris, Elizabeth Brogden, Christine Patterson, Patrick Reynolds, Rosalie Daniels, Lydia McKay, Morgan Jones, Gretchen Riggle, Grace Laber, Jade Jarencio, Claire Tinkler, Nicole Gerhardt, Jane Gundacker, Drew Sivon, and Gretchen Stevens.

The Foundation Secretary updates all approved scholarship awards on the Foundation's list of scholarship recipients. Information regarding all awards of the Foundation will also be posted to electronic communication sources.