Helen M. McLoraine Scholarship Program for Foster Care and Emancipating Youth
This scholarship program provides educational scholarships for foster care youth who are emancipated or are in the process of preparing to emancipate from the foster care system in Colorado. Awards can be up to $10,000 per year with an average award size of $5,000.
Eligibility: Students who meet ALL of the following criteria are encouraged to apply:
- Were in the foster care system in Colorado for a minimum of 24 months between the ages of 13 and 21 (months do not need to have been consecutive, although the total should be 24 months before the scholarship deadline). Applicants who meet this requirement AND are emancipated, were adopted at age 15 or older, or are participating in the Guardianship Assistance Program, Independent Living Arrangement, or similar programs are eligible to apply.
- Will be age 25 or younger on September 1st.
- Have completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the upcoming academic year.
- Are planning to attend an accredited trade or technical school, community college or four-year college/university for the upcoming academic year.
PLEASE NOTE: Only complete and eligible scholarship applications will be reviewed by the selection committee.
Selection: Recipients will be selected based on academic achievement/potential, motivation, potential for success in their chosen program and field, and financial need.
Award: Scholarship awards are based on financial need, the strength of the student application, and the student’s educational plan. Scholarship awards will be paid directly to a recipient’s educational institution and may be used for tuition, fees, and required books and supplies for the upcoming academic year. An individual can receive a scholarship award from this fund for a maximum of four years. Awards may be used for part-time or full-time undergraduate study at any accredited U.S. trade or technical school, community college, or four-year college/university. Please note that award disbursement is contingent upon the outside scholarship policies of a recipient’s college or university.
Contact: Questions? Contact Charmaine Brown at cbrown@denverfoundation.org.
- Donor
- Helen M. McLoraine
- Award
- $1,000-$10,000
- Deadline
- Supplemental Questions
- Recipients have a max limit of four years to receive the Helen M. McLoraine Scholarship. Please share if you are a:
- How did you learn about this scholarship opportunity?
- Foster Care Information - Please check all that apply:
- Confirmation of Time in Foster Care
- Confirmation of Foster Care Dependency - Submit the Confirmation of Foster Care Dependency Form. The county clerk from the county where you were in placement should fill out this document. You can download a copy of the form "here": https://www.courts.state.co.us/userfiles/file/Administration/Planning_and_Analysis/Family%20Law%20Programs/CIP/Resources/Confirmation%20of%20Foster%20Care%20Dependency.pdf. Instead of this form, you may submit a letter from a Case Worker, Chafee Counselor, CASA, or Guardian ad Litem verifying your time in foster care. This letter must be written on professional letterhead and include the following information: verification that you were in the foster care system, date you entered the foster care system, total number of months in the foster care system, the advocate’s name, phone number and title, their relationship to you, and the length of time they have been your personal advocate.
- Please list (or estimate if you are not sure) the dates which you were in foster care in Colorado (ex. June 2006-October 2008 and December 2009-March 2011)
- Total Number of Months in Foster Care Between the Ages of 13 and 21 (as of the deadline date of this opportunity).
- Please provide information related to your advocate. This information is only used by The Denver Foundation staff in the event there are questions regarding the confirmation of your time in foster care and will not be reviewed by anyone on the scholarship selection committee.
- 1. Do you give your Case Worker, Chafee Counselor, CASA or Guardian ad Litem permission to verify information or answer additional questions?
- 2. First and Last Name of Advocate - Write "NA" if you answered No above.
- 3. Phone Number/Email of Advocate - Write "NA" if you answered No above.
- Education - Please select one:
- My anticipated enrollment for the upcoming academic year (fall & spring semesters) will be:
- HIGH SCHOOL- Fill out this section if you HAVE NOT yet started college or have completed fewer than 30 college credits.
- 1. Name of High School
- 2. City, State
- 3. Dates Attended/Dates Attending (Month/Year-Month/Year)
- 4. High School Graduation Date or Anticipated Graduation Date
- 5. Cumulative GPA
- 6. Is your GPA weighted or unweighted?
- High School and College Transcripts - If you are still in high school or pursuing your GED, please submit unofficial transcripts from all the high schools you attended. If you are in your freshman year of college, submit your high school transcript and your college transcript. If you are in your sophomore year of college, submit your college transcript(s) only. Scan all transcripts into ONE document before uploading.
- I plan to attend a
- Name of College or University you plan to attend.
- What is the status of your application for admission at your selected college/university:
- Degree Information
- 1. What undergraduate degree do you anticipate receiving?
- 2. If you listed "other" as your choice, please indicate what your degree will be? If you selected an option above, write "N/A".
- What is your current/anticipated major or program of study?
- When will you begin your classes? (Ex. Fall 2017)
- Extracurricular/Leadership Activities - Describe up to five activities using the "Add Another Answer" button. Activities can include sports, clubs, volunteer work/community service, paid work, etc.
- 1. Activity Name
- 2. Role or Position
- 3. Dates (From-To)
- 4. Time Spent (Hours Per Week)
- FAFSA Information - Please answer the following questions if you have completed your Free Application for Federal Student Aid for the upcoming academic year.
- 1. Have you completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the next academic year?
- 2. If you have completed your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the next academic year, please upload a copy of your Student Aid Report (SAR).
- Anticipated Financial Aid - List the different types and amount of aid you expect to receive for the upcoming academic year using the "Add Another Answer" button.
- 1. Aid Type
- 2. Name of the financial aid you will be receiving
- 3. Amount of your award for the academic year
- 4. Pending or Confirmed?
- Are you eligible to apply for an Education and Training Voucher (ETV)? If yes, have you applied?
- Employment
- 1. Do you work currently?
- 2. If yes, where do you work?
- 3. If yes, how many hours per week do you work? What is your position or title?
- How many credits do you plan to attend for the fall and spring semesters? (ex. Fall 2017-12 credits; Spring 2018-9 credits)
- FIRST TIME APPLICANTS ONLY: If this is your first time apply for this opportunity, please complete the following essay questions. If you have applied for this scholarship previously and received funding, please mark the fields with "N/A" and complete the RE-APPLICANT ESSAYS BELOW.
- 1. What motivates you to attend college/technical school, what do you currently plan to study in school, and why have you chosen this course of study?
- 2. Describe a time when you had to advocate for yourself. What was the outcome? Please share one or two things that you learned from the experience.
- 3. Please share what you consider to be your top three accomplishments that are the most important to you and why.
- RE-APPLICANTS ONLY: If you are reapplying for this scholarship opportunity, please complete the following essay questions. If you have not previously received funding from this scholarship, please mark the fields with "N/A" and confirm that you have completed the FIRST TIME APPLICANT ESSAYS ABOVE.
- 1. Reflecting upon the key things that you have learned throughout your studies and experiences during the past year, please discuss how your experiences this year have had an impact on your thoughts and plans for your future academic, professional, and personal life?
- 2. Please share with what the high and low points of your academic year have been and why?
- Reference: Request a reference from someone who knows you well. This reference can be a teacher, advisor, employer, coach, etc. who can speak to your character, motivation, and chance for success in the program you have chosen. This process is initiated by you, the applicant, from within the online application. You are responsible for ensuring that your reference completes this request prior to the scholarship application deadline. Insert the name and email address of your reference into the fields provided. Immediately when you save your application, a secure link with specific reference questions will be sent to your recommender. This needs to be done in ADVANCE of submitting your application. The deadline for references is the same as your scholarship application deadline.
- Additional File Upload: If there is something you were not able to upload in the application format above, please upload that file here.
- [Optional] Please feel free to share any additional information you would like the committee to consider as it relates to the financial impact this scholarship would have on your education?
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