Hillman Scholars

The Hillman Scholars program was established to support academically qualified high school seniors enrolled in the College Bound St. Louis program who demonstrate financial need as an undergraduate student at an accredited, nonprofit four-year college or university in the United States. Hillman Scholars will receive scholarship awards of $3,000. Recipients may apply for renewal consideration for up to three additional years of funding.

Eligibility
To be eligible to apply, the applicant must:
• be a College Bound St. Louis member in good standing
• be a high school senior
• have achieved a 2.5 grade point average on a 4 point scale (or the equivalent)
• plan to enroll full time in a nonprofit, accredited four year college or university in the United States
• demonstrate unmet financial need as a full time student

In addition to receiving scholarship funds, students selected to be Hillman Scholars will benefit from the following types of program offerings throughout the four years.

  • Networking with professionals in the community introduced by the Hillman family and friends of the Hillman Scholars program
  • Communication through emails to stay engaged with the Hillman Scholars community

Evaluation and Selection
Applicants will be evaluated on the strength of the submitted essay and reflections, academic achievement and promise for future success, activities outside the classroom, and the strength of recommendations received on his or her behalf. The application deadline is March 12 but applicants will have until midnight on April 15 to submit the financial aid award letter from the college they plan to attend. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please answer all questions that apply to you, even if they are not marked “required.”

Notification
Applicants will be notified of their application status in the competition by late May. Award checks will be mailed in early August to the college the Hillman Scholar will attend. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT TO CONTACT THE ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION IF THERE IS A CHANGE IN COLLEGES OR CONTACT INFORMATION. This scholarship is renewable for up to three additional years. Information about renewal applications will come from the St. Louis Community Foundation via email in February.

Questions? Contact Ellen Vietor, Scholarship Manager at the St. Louis Community Foundation at scholarships@stlgives.org or 314-880-4960.

Eligibility and financial need for this scholarship program will be determined by the St. Louis Community Foundation. This scholarship program, as component fund of the St. Louis Community Foundation, does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, creed, national origin, gender, age, color, sexual orientation, veteran status, physical or mental disability.

Donor
Hillman Family Foundation
Award
$3.000, renewable
Deadline
03/12/2025
Supplemental Questions
  1. Before you begin this application, please take a minute to read through the scholarship details. This will allow you to see all the eligibility requirements. Click on the scholarship name that is underlined and in blue ink in the upper left-hand corner to see the details. Check here to indicate you have reviewed the eligibility criteria.
  2. To be eligible for the Hillman Scholar Award, applicants must be participants in good standing with the College Bound St. Louis (collegeboundstl.org) college preparatory program. Does this describe you?
  3. To be considered for this scholarship, your Scholarship Central General Application MUST include your FALL transcript for the current academic year. The transcript should show your name, school, grades, and cumulative GPA. If you previously uploaded an earlier transcript, please upload a new transcript to your General Application and change your answer to the GPA question. If your college choice has changed, please update that on the General Application as well.
  4. Please list the extracurricular activities in which you have participated or are currently participating (sports, arts, clubs, etc.).
    • Dates During Which Participated in Activity
    • Extracurricular Activity
    • Your role
  5. Please list your work and volunteer experiences in addition to any substantive family responsibility (Full or part-time, paid or volunteer, including present employment. List all positions held within the last three years.)
    • Employer/Organization
    • Employment/Volunteer Dates
    • Hours/Week
    • Job/Position Title
    • Nature of Your Family Responsibility (if applicable)
    • Rate of Pay (if applicable)
  6. The Hillman Scholars program offers more than just scholarship funds. How interested are you in each of the following activities?
    • Communication through emails and snail mail to stay engaged with the Hillman Scholars community
    • Introductions to professionals in the community
    • Special Events and opportunities to engage with other Scholars, hear inspirational guest speakers and receive shared wisdom from fellow Scholars
  7. ESSAY: This is your opportunity to tell the evaluators about yourself. Every student has a story or background that defines them. Tell us your story in no more than 500 words.
  8. REFLECTIONS: We want to get to know you better - your character, your values and your dreams. Please answer the following reflection questions in three to five sentences. What personal accomplishments are you most proud of?
  9. Who is your role model and why?
  10. Essay: What is the biggest challenge you have faced? How have you addressed this challenge?
  11. Optional: Is there anything else you think the evaluators should know about you?
  12. Upload your FAFSA Submission Summary for next year.
  13. Enter your Student Aid Index that is on your FAFSA Submission Summary.
  14. UPLOAD: Please upload next year's Financial Aid Award Letter from the college you will attend. This document will be required before an award can be determined and should include: college name, applicant name, loans, grants and scholarships offered. If you do not have an award letter before the application deadline, upload a document stating that you will email the award letter to scholarships@stlgives.org as soon as you receive it.
  15. What school issued the award letter that you uploaded?
  16. Upload documentation from the school you plan to attend that shows your total cost of attendance.
  17. Where will you live during the academic year for which you are applying?
  18. Parent/Guardian Name(s)
  19. Parent/Guardian(s) Employer and Occupation
  20. Do any of your parents (or legal guardians) have an associate degree or a bachelor’s degree?
  21. If you wish to inform the reviewers of any unusual financial circumstances, including costs associated with your education or educational loans already incurred for or by you, please provide here. Please note that tax forms, W-2s or other documentation may be requested to verify information on the FAFSA Submission Summary.
  22. COLLEGE BOUND RECOMMENDATION: Enter the name and e-mail address of a College Bound staff member who will submit a letter of 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 the process.
  23. 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.
  24. Before you submit your application, be sure that the following items have been completed:
    • 1. Did you upload a copy of your FALL transcript that includes your name, school, grades, hours, and cumulative GPA to the My Scholarship Central General Application?
    • 2. Please make sure we can read the document you uploaded for the question that asks for your FAFSA Submission Report and that you included all the pages in the report. Click “view” under the box that shows the uploaded file to check the document you provided.
    • 3. Did you upload the Financial Aid Award Letter from the college you plan to attend that includes your college name, your name, loans, grants, and scholarships offered?
  25. SIGNATURE: By entering my full name below, I certify that the information I have provided is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge and I authorize the St. Louis Community Foundation and its agents to examine, verify and discuss my academic records and other information that applies to the consideration of this application. My signature also signifies that, if awarded, I understand that it is my responsibility to inform the St. Louis Community Foundation of any changes to my college plans and that I understand that some portion of scholarship awards I receive from any source may be considered taxable income if the total amount exceeds the cost of tuition and course related fees, supplies and equipment.
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