Since 1948, the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley has awarded over $27.3 million in scholarships!
Apply for Scholarships
The scholarship application closed on January 24, 2025. Applicants will be notified of award decisions in May.
Please mark your calendar to apply next year!
Scholarship Program
The Community Foundation Scholarship Program consists of separate scholarship funds created by individual donors who establish specific criteria for the administration of their scholarships. Such criteria must be consistent with overall Community Foundation policy.
Scholarships are available to local students who will attend an accredited post-secondary institution within the United States of America on a full-time basis.
To learn more about the various scholarship funds administered by the Community Foundation and its donors, please visit the Scholarship Fund profile pages.
The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is proud to administer four generous scholarships sponsored by the Dunham Foundation. To learn more about these scholarships and the criteria, please visit the Scholarship Fund profile page.
Frequently Asked Questions
The scholarship application for the 2025/2026 school year will be available on November 1, 2024, until January 24, 2025, at 4:00 pm Central Time.
In fairness to all applicants, the deadline is firm. Be sure to submit your application ahead of the 4:00 pm deadline to ensure that internet or computer trouble do not impact your submission.
1. Grade Transcript(s)
2. SAT and ACT Test Scores - if available
3. Student Aid Index (SAI) number from a processed Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) - if available
4. Email addresses of individuals from whom you will request a recommendation
Contact or visit your guidance secretary, transcript service, or high school/college website. Unofficial transcripts are accepted.
Your Student Aid Index (SAI) is a number that colleges use to determine how much financial aid you are eligible to receive. Your SAI is calculated according to a formula established by law and the information you provided on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Further information about the FAFSA is available at: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa.
Most scholarships offered through the Community Foundation Scholarship Program are based on academic ability and financial need. A few scholarships are based on academic ability without consideration of financial need.
Therefore:
- Students who provide their SAI number are considered for 100% of the scholarships available through the Community Foundation Scholarship Program.
- Students who do NOT provide their SAI number are considered for only 20% of the scholarships available through the Community Foundation Scholarship Program.
No. Students apply to the Community Foundation Scholarship Program as a whole, not for a particular scholarship, and are considered for any scholarship in which they are eligible.
Note: Although a student may be eligible for several different scholarships offered, only one scholarship may be received by any one student in any given year. This policy is in keeping with the philosophy of the Community Foundation Scholarship Program to help as many individual students as possible.
You can view your application at any time, however, once you submit your application, it can no longer be edited by you. Therefore, take your time and review your whole application before submitting it.
If you realize your application needs to be edited after submission, send the updated information to scholarship@cffrv.org as soon as possible. The Scholarship Team will edit your application with the updates.
Visit the Scholarship Portal.
The Scholarship Committee consists of local residents who volunteer their time and skills.
The monetary value of each scholarship award varies depending upon the amount available in each individual scholarship fund. The most common scholarship award amount is $1,000 for a single year.
Scholarships are designated as non-renewable one-year awards or renewable multi-year awards depending upon the scholarship fund criteria, as established by the donor of the scholarship fund.
Notices regarding application decisions will be sent to all applicants via email in early May each year.
Primary Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must complete their high school education during, at the conclusion of, or prior to the current academic year as follows.
- High School Diploma from a public, private, parochial, or online school
- Home-Schooled High School Education
- General Educational Development (GED) certificate or state certificate
Applicants must attend an accredited post-secondary institution within the United States of America during the upcoming academic year.
Applicants must pursue studies (career/technical/vocational, undergraduate, graduate, etc.) on a full-time basis during the upcoming academic year.
Applicants must maintain a permanent address located within the Community Foundation Scholarship Program service area (a few exceptions apply).
- A permanent address is usually a parent’s home or the address listed on a driver’s license, voters registration card, FAFSA, etc. It is most likely NOT a temporary on/off college campus address.
- The Community Foundation Scholarship Program service area includes the following areas within the State of Illinois:
