Hispanic Educational, Cultural, and Scholarship Fund

The Hispanic Educational, Cultural and Scholarship Fund is pleased to announce that scholarships of $1,000 will be awarded this year. These scholarships are recognition of a student’s overall achievements, and are available to Hispanic/Latino students that are permanent residents in the Greater St. Louis area (includes Missouri and Illinois) enrolled in post-secondary course work or trade school in the fall of 2024.

For the purpose of this scholarship and to qualify, at least one of the applicant’s grandparents must be or have been Hispanic/Latino. Members of the board of directors of Hispanic ECS Fund and their relatives cannot be applicants.

For 2024, the Hispanic ECS Fund is offering scholarships as follows:

• Hispanic Educational Cultural and Scholarship Fund Scholarship
  Scholarships of $1,000.
• Grupo Atlántico Scholarship
  The $1,000 scholarship is to be awarded to a female student heading for a career in science, technology, engineering, mathematics or medicine (STEMM) in a college/university.

ELIGIBILITY
The scholarship is open to all Hispanic/Latino students with permanent residency in the St. Louis region, which is the bistate region that includes: the City of St. Louis; the seven (7) Missouri counties of Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, St. Charles, St. Louis, Warren, and Washington; and the eight (8) Illinois counties of Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Monroe, and St. Clair. Family/relatives of Hispanic ECS Fund directors are not eligible.

Applicants must be:

• Hispanic/Latino (at least one grandparent must have been Hispanic/Latino).
• A permanent resident of the St. Louis region under the following status: a U.S. citizen or a permanent legal resident in the United States holding a permanent resident card (USCIS 1-551) or a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program student.
• Important Note: Students residing in the St. Louis region because they are studying in the area but who reside outside of the region when not in school are not eligible for the scholarship.
• Accepted to or Seeking an associate, baccalaureate or graduate degree at an accredited not-for-profit college/university, or a diploma or certification from a not-for-profit trade or vocational school.
• Have a minimum cumulative grade average of B (3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale) on all prior work attempted in high school and/or college, as applicable.
• Accepted or enrolled in a not-for-profit, accredited college, university or institution of higher learning in the United States as a degree-seeking student by May 15. Must be full-time students: twelve (12) or more credits each semester.
• Submit all required documentation on time

GUIDELINES

• The scholarship check must be deposited or cashed no later than sixty (60) days after the date of the check. Failure to deposit or cash the scholarship check (or failure to report it lost or missing) within the required time can result in making the student ineligible for future scholarships.
• Regarding any check which is lost or otherwise unaccounted for, the costs and bank fees to stop payment on the check and to issue a replacement check will be subtracted from any replacement check.
• The scholarship funds must be used for school related expenses as the recipient deems appropriate.
• Previous scholarship recipients are eligible to reapply for further scholarship award by submitting a current application according to the eligibility and guidelines as applicable. Renewal of award is not guaranteed.
• After receiving the scholarship, recipients must report back to Hispanic ECS Fund about the use of their award via e-mail or letter. If the recipient does not report the use of funds, he/she will not be eligible to win another scholarship subsequently.
• Scholarship recipients will not be eligible to re-apply for another scholarship if they:
• Deliberately have provided false information.
• Fail to return to, drop out from or are dismissed by the institution of higher learning.
• Have not reported on the use of their award via email or by letter.
• Have used the scholarship funds for expenses not related to their education.
• Have used the scholarship funds in an illegal or improper manner.
• Have exhibited unacceptable conduct.
• Recommendations must come from individuals who can provide information about the student from the academic as well as the personal perspective; one of the recommendations must be from a teacher, professor, or counselor.
• A scholarship selection committee composed of not less than three members of the local community, including educators, will determine the scholarship recipients based on selected criteria

Candidates may be asked to participate in an interview.

To receive the scholarship check, the winners must be present during the annual joint ceremony organized by the Hispanic Scholarship Alliance of St. Louis. If the winner is not able to attend, a representative must be present at the ceremony to accept the check. In case of emergency or difficulty, the student must contact Hispanic ECS Fund with details. The ceremony will be held July 26, 2024.

Recipient may need to provide a picture and sign a cable/broadcast consent form should the ceremony be recorded for TV broadcast and the student agrees to participate in the ceremony. This information will be requested around the time the award decision is communicated.

Questions? Contact the scholarship committee at hispanicecsfund@gmail.com