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Scholarships - Building Communities Through Education
Kaitlyn Nelson receiving her 2011 McGimpsey Scholarship at North Thurston High School
Building for the future by supporting education for young peoples—how great is that! Each year, donors who have trusted the foundation to manage their funds provide scholarship support for high school seniors planning to pursue post-secondary educational opportunities—both academic and vocational.
Honoring guidelines set by the donors, committees comprised of high school counselors, college financial aid professionals, community volunteers and Foundation board members review the scholarship applications and select award recipients.
The Community Foundation's scholarships, and respective application processes, are detailed under How to Apply.
Scholarship Recipient Profile
Starcia was a 2009 Spirit of Youth Scholarship recipient, supported by a Community Foundation donor. Share in her inspirational achievements by viewing this video from KOMO News:
Other Scholarship Resources:
U. S. Department of Education
The Student Guide to Financial Aid is a comprehensive source of information to explain the financial aid and how to apply for it. www.studentaid.ed.gov/students/publications/student_guide/index.html
FAFSA
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), a form that provides the data on which financial aid decisions are based. Students may complete the FAFSA starting on January 1 prior to the fall when they will enroll. www.fafsa.ed.gov
The WashBoard
A free, web-based, nonprofit scholarship clearinghouse for Washington students seeking college scholarships. In one stop, you can search and apply for verified scholarship opportunities specific to your academic interests, college or university, or other criteria. View flyer 
www.theWashBoard.org
CollegeCost.ed.gov
Here you will find information about tuition and net prices at postsecondary institutions. The site highlights institutions with high and low tuition and fees as well as high and low net prices (the price of attendance minus grant and scholarship aid). It also shows institutions where tuition and fees and net prices are increasing at the highest rates.
www.collegecost.ed.gov/
Scholarship Search Sites:
The College Board
Good overall site for information about financial aid. Also provides free scholarship search service. www.collegeboard.com
College Connection Scholarships
Free scholarship searches. www.collegescholarships.com
College View
General information about college and financial aid, including free scholarship searches. www.collegeview.com
FastWeb
FastWeb is the nation's recognized leader in helping students make the decisions that shape their lives: choosing a college, paying for college, and finding jobs during and after college. www.fastweb.com
The Scholarship Page
Free scholarship searches. www.scholarship-page.com
Scholarships.com
Free scholarship searches. www.scholarships.com
Financial Aid.org
General information about student financial aid. Links to FastWeb for scholarship searches. www.finaid.org
Gates Millenium Scholarship Program
Undergraduate and graduate scholarships for outstanding minority students. www.gmsp.org
Peterson's
Search tools for information on colleges and universities, articles, and resources to help students find the right school, excel on tests, and pay for college. A great source for estimating attendance costs. Also includes information on Graduate School, Online and Continuing Education and K-12 Schools and Programs. www.petersons.com
Sallie Mae
Sallie Mae is the largest provider of student loans in the U.S. The scholarships portion of their site includes general information about the financial aid process and suggestions to students about searching for scholarships. They also offer the Wired Scholar service to assist students in planning for college. www.salliemae.com
Scholarship Scams:
Below are links to sites that will provide more information about recognizing and avoiding scholarship scams.
FinAid.org
Advice on identifying, avoiding and reporting scholarship scams. http://www.finaid.org/scholarships/scams.phtml
Federal Trade Commission
Guidance from the federal consumer protection agency on finding legitimate scholarship search help. http://www.ftc.gov/scholarshipscams
U.S. Department of Education
Tips from the federal agency about safe searches for financial aid. http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oig/misused/sscams.html
