New Era Scholarship

The New Era Scholarship is a collaboration between The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis and select youth development agencies and high schools, whose active participants are eligible to apply. This scholarship of up to $12,000 annually may be used at an accredited, nonprofit two- or four-year college, university, or technical school located in the state of Missouri or a select number of institutions in Illinois. The New Era Scholarship is renewable through graduation or for up to 10 semesters.

Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria:

  • Be an active participant or current student of one of the following: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri, Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School, College Bound, Hancock High School, Jennings High School, KIPP St. Louis, St. Louis Internship Program, The Little Bit Foundation, UMSL Bridge Program, and Wyman’s Teen Leaders Program.
  • Be a graduating high school senior.
  • Plan to attend an accredited, nonprofit 2-year, 4-year, or trade/technical college in Missouri. In addition, a small number of colleges in Illinois are also eligible. For a full list of schools, please contact The Scholarship Foundation.
  • Have earned a minimum 2.0 cumulative grade point average
  • Demonstrate significant financial need, as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or similar need calculations. Applicants with a Student Aid Index (SAI) over $17,500 must have significant and extenuating circumstances to be considered.
  • Be a resident of the St. Louis metropolitan area (City of St. Louis and St. Louis County; Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, St. Charles, and Warren counties in Missouri; and, the Illinois counties of Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Monroe, and St. Clair). Additionally, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri participants who reside in the Missouri counties of Cape Girardeau and Scott are also eligible to apply.

All fields of study, except the ministry and divinity degrees, are eligible for funding.

To be considered, completed applications and all required supporting documents must be submitted by the application deadline. It is the applicant’s responsibility to make sure that ALL required documents have been submitted by the deadline. The Scholarship Foundation may not be able to notify the applicant of missing documents prior to the deadline.

Students who are selected to receive the New Era Scholarship may also be given an opportunity to accept or decline an interest-free loan or other grants through The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis.

Awards will be announced in June.

The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis
6825 Clayton Ave, Suite 100, St. Louis, MO 63139
(314) 725-7990
info@sfstl.org

Donor
New Era Scholarship
Award
up to $12,000 renewable
Deadline
05/15/2024
Supplemental Questions
  1. Do you plan to attend an accredited, nonprofit 2-year, 4-year, or trade/technical college in Missouri or an eligible college in Illinois? (Applicants may attend a select number of institutions in Illinois. Contact The Scholarship Foundation for a full list of schools.)
  2. Applicant's Current Employer
  3. Applicant's Current Job Title or Occupation
  4. Hours Worked per Week
  5. List any other significant employment positions held within the last year.
    • 1. Employer
    • 2. Position/Title
    • 3. Dates Employed
    • 4. Reason for leaving
  6. What is the current marital status of your parents?
  7. If applicant's parents are divorced, upload a copy of the portion of the divorce decree relating to child support and payment for college.
  8. Parent (or legal guardian) 1 Full Name
  9. Parent (or legal guardian) 1 Phone Number
  10. Parent (or legal guardian) 2 Full Name
  11. Parent (or legal guardian) 2 Phone Number
  12. Do your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) have a bachelor's degree?
  13. Is English your first language?
  14. List the most significant volunteer and extracurricular activities in which you have participated.
    • 1. Name
    • 2. Date
    • 3. Brief Description
    • 4. Leadership Positions Held
  15. List the most significant honors or awards that you have received.
    • 1. Name
    • 2. Date
    • 3. Type of recognition
  16. Who has supported your ambition to work toward completion of your college/postsecondary education program? Please describe how this individual supported you.
  17. If there is information about your or your family’s financial circumstances and ability to pay for college that you wish us to take into consideration as part of your application, please describe them here. Examples include a change or loss of income over the past year or medical costs due to illness in the household.
  18. HIGH SCHOOL TRANSCRIPT: Upload your current high school transcript, INCLUDING GRADES THROUGH THE FALL 2023 SEMESTER
  19. STUDENT AID INDEX (SAI): Upload the complete 2024-25 FAFSA Submission Summary report from your FAFSA. If you are unable to file a FAFSA for any reason, please contact The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis at info@sfstl.org or (314) 725-7990 for guidance on information that may be submitted as a substitute. (Click here for instructions to download your FAFSA Submission Summary.)
  20. If you have siblings who are currently enrolled, or will be enrolled, in college for the 2024-25 academic year, please enter the total number here.
  21. Dependency Status: Are you a dependent or independent student? (You are an independent student if you would answer "yes" to one or more questions in this list.)
  22. Are you pursuing a dependency override due to personal circumstances that prevent you from acquiring your parent's information on the FAFSA?
  23. Housing Plans: Select your housing plans for the school you plan to attend.
  24. FINANCIAL AID AWARD LETTER: Upload your 2024-2025 Financial Aid Award Letter. If you receive the financial aid award letter from your school by the application deadline, upload the document and submit it with your application. If you do not receive the letter by the deadline, you will be contacted to email the document before an award is considered.
  25. ESSAY: We are curious to know what drives your passion and commitment to improve the world around you. Please describe what issues are important to you that involve your community, educational success, or future. Why do you care about these issues more than others and why is it important for them to be addressed?
  26. We want to learn more about you: You may choose to submit something that you’ve created, or you may choose to write an additional essay. If you have a website, an art project, a personal video or other on-line file that you would like to share with us, please place the link in the next question and please explain what it is in the space provided here. If you choose to write an additional essay, please describe a challenge you have faced and how you dealt with it. Explain how having dealt with that challenge has shaped you, and if it has influenced your education and career path.
  27. On-line content (enter a link to the on-line content described above):
  28. SCHOLARSHIP CENTRAL RECOMMENDATION: Enter the name and e-mail address of an instructor, counselor, advisor, supervisor or other similarly qualified individual who will submit a recommendation on your behalf. NOTE: As the applicant, it is your responsibility to inform that person to watch for an email sent on your behalf that will explain how to complete this process.
  29. APPLICATION STATUS AUTHORIZATION: For your protection, The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis requires your authorization to share personal information and the status of your application to a third party such as your parent(s), counselors, community-based organizations, etc. If you wish to grant authorization, please list below the names of the individuals and their relationship to you. If the individual is affiliated with an organization, please also include the name of the organization.
  30. APPLICANT SIGNATURE: By entering my full name below, I authorize The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis and its agents to examine, verify and discuss my academic and/or financial records and other information which applies to the consideration of this application. I certify that all answers are accurate and truthful to the best of my knowledge, and that all information in the application and essays are my own work. I understand that the decisions made regarding my participation in this program are made by The Scholarship Foundation in reliance upon the truth and correctness of my statements.
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