Many single parents face financial hardship which limits their resources from sending their child to school but there are scholarships to help out. Curated here are scholarships for children of single parents with details on their requirements, eligibility, and deadlines. If you are a child or children of a single parent, the scholarships listed here will give you a chance to go to college.
A survey from the Pew Research Center revealed that one-quarter of children in the US are raised in a single-parent household. Many single parents struggle to make ends meet and sending their child to college can come as an overburden to them. So, in a single-parent household, it is not uncommon for the child or children not to get a college education due to the financial burden that comes with it.
But this is where scholarships for single parents come in. There are scholarships that are especially focused on providing financial assistance to children of single parents who intend to attend college but cannot afford it due to their financial situation. People like these need to get all the help they can to enable and encourage them to pursue their educational goals and achieve their dreams.
Although they – children from single-parent households – can apply for other scholarships whose requirements they satisfy such as scholarships for first-year college students and other need-based scholarships. In addition, they can also apply for athletic scholarships if they participate actively in one sport or the other and have made some achievements to show for it.
But the challenge with these other scholarships is that they will be crowded and very competitive but compared to scholarships for children of single parents, it’d just be specifically for those from a single-parent household and it will not be very competitive which increases your chances of winning a scholarship under this category.
If you are a child of a single dad, mom, or other single guardians, read ahead to find suitable scholarships to support your college finances.
Table of Contents
Scholarships For Children Of Single Parents
- First Responders Children’s Foundation Scholarships
- ReWritten Scholarship
- Life Lessons Scholarship Program
- Family Scholarship Fund
- The JoAnn Heffernan Heisen Scholarship
- The Lisa Michelle Memorial Fund
- The Quell Foundation Survivor Scholarship
- Colwell Law Single Parent Scholarship
- Victims of Drunk Driving Scholarship
- Tuition and Fee Exemption for Children of Disabled Veterans
- The American Legion Legacy Scholarship
- Children of Veterans Tuition Grant
- FOZA Scholarship for Awareness of Maternal Suicide
- Operation Second Chance (OSC) Scholarship Program
1. First Responders Children’s Foundation Scholarships
First on our list of scholarships for children of single parents is the First Responders Children’s Foundation Scholarships, a scholarship program set up to assist children of first responders in achieving their goals through scholarships and a powerful community network. The First Responders Children’s Foundation Scholarships are given to children of first responders such as law enforcement, firefighters, paramedics, etc. who either die or become permanently disabled in the line of duty.
Aside from the scholarship criteria, there are a few requirements you must also meet. You must have at least a GPA of 2.7 on a scale of 4.0, be enrolled or planning to enroll in a higher institution and be the biological, adopted, or stepchild of a first responder who died in the line of duty. Documents for application for the First Responders Children’s Foundation Scholarships include a transcript, three letters of recommendation, a student aid report, proof of acceptance or enrollment into college, a personal statement, and proof of US citizenship or legal permanent residency.
2. ReWritten Scholarship
ReWritten is an organization that assists fatherless children by providing them with necessities that will take them off the streets, prison, drugs, and gangs. The organization provides practical life skills mentoring, academic and career guidance, and scholarships. The ReWritten Scholarship is targeted at fatherless children supporting them with scholarships from $500 to $5,000 to help college students gain access to a brighter future.
The application process is easy, students will only need to provide a personal statement of their written plan for higher education and demonstrate financial need. ReWritten Scholarship is one of the best scholarships for children of single parents because it offers more than financial assistance.
3. Life Lessons Scholarship Program
Life Lessons Scholarship Program was established by Life Happens to provide financial assistance to students whose parents died leaving little or no life insurance. If this is you and you plan to enroll or are already enrolled in a college or university and are at least 17 years old and no more than 24 years old, you can apply for the Life Lessons Scholarship Program and receive funding to support your education.
Undergraduate and graduate students are welcome to apply. The application requires you to submit an essay or a 3-minute recorded video discussing how the death of your parent impacted your life and your plans for the future. The award varies every year but about $250,000 is awarded in total to about 40 students.
4. Family Scholarship Fund
The Family Scholarship Fund is made available by the American Society of Safety Professionals Foundation (ASSP). The scholarship is offered to children whose parents died in a workplace incident, providing financial assistance for their education to minimize the impact of their loss and encourage continuing education.
To apply, you will need to provide incident background and documentation for verification, must be a full or part-time student enrolled in a higher institution in the US, and if you are in high school at the time of application then provide proof of acceptance into higher institution in the US, provide university or high school transcripts, and 300 to 500-word essay discussing how the incident affected you and what ways receiving the Family Scholarship Fund will benefit you and your future.
5. The JoAnn Heffernan Heisen Scholarship
The above-named scholarship is tenable only at Syracuse University. It is a scholarship awarded to SU students who are from a single-parent household. Additionally, the scholarship is awarded based on need and merit.
6. The Lisa Michelle Memorial Fund
This memorial fund is a scholarship offered to students who have lost a parent/guardian, grandparent, sibling, or spouse to substance abuse such as drugs, alcohol, etc. To apply, you must be enrolled in a part-time or full-time program at a college or university in the US and show proof of enrollment. Applicants must be legal citizens of the United States, have a GPA of 3.0 by submitting a recent transcript, and submit an essay between 800-1,500 words.
7. The Quell Foundation Survivor Scholarship
The Quell Foundation Survivor Scholarship is made available to high school seniors and undergraduate or graduate students who lost a parent, caregiver, or sibling to suicide. To apply, you need a personal statement, a minimum GPA of 3.0, two letters of recommendation, an unofficial academic transcript, and form 1040 or a student aid report.
8. Colwell Law Single Parent Scholarship
The Colwell Law Group LLC understands how difficult it can be for a single parent to afford to send their child to college which is why the law firm set up this scholarship to provide financial assistance to support the education of children of single parents who want to attend college. To be eligible, you must be enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate, or law program within the US.
If you are a high school senior planning to enroll in college, you can also apply. Candidates must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a scale of 4.0 and be in good academic standing. Your application must include a recent resume, current official or unofficial transcript, and a 750-word essay discussing how living in a single-parent household has impacted your life. The Colwell Law Single Parent Scholarship is offered annually.
9. Victims of Drunk Driving Scholarship
The Victims of Drunk Driving Scholarship is offered by Encore Protection. The scholarship is made available to college students who lost a parent in a drunk driving accident. Encore Protection understands how difficult it can be to pay for the college expenses of their child on top of medical bills, therefore, Encore Protection is stepping in to assist and help ease the financial burden of college.
To be eligible for the award, you must be a child, dependent, or spouse of a victim of drunk driving, be currently accepted or already enrolled in a post-secondary institution, have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and write a 1000-word essay on how drunk driving has affected your life.
10. Tuition and Fee Exemption for Children of Disabled Veterans
The Indiana Commission established this program for Higher Education and from the title you must already know who it is meant for. The program provides up to 100% of tuition and regularly assesses fees for up to 124 semester credit hours at Indiana public colleges and universities at the undergraduate resident tuition rate.
While Indiana residents enrolled in a private institution in the state will receive $5,000 in tuition and regularly assessed fees. If you are the biological or adopted child of a veteran who died or suffered a disability you can apply for this scholarship before turning 33 years old.
11. The American Legion Legacy Scholarship
This is a need-based scholarship offered to children of US military members who died while on active duty on or after September 11, 2001, and children of post-9/11 veterans having been assigned a combined disability rating of 50 percent or greater by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
$20,000 scholarship is provided to the children of the fallen and $5,000 is provided for the children of the disabled. You must be enrolled or accepted into an undergraduate or graduate degree program to apply for the award. You must also provide FAFSA to demonstrate financial need. The scholarships are awarded every academic year.
12. Children of Veterans Tuition Grant
The Children of Veterans Tuition Grant was established by the Government of Michigan to provide financial assistance to college students who are biological or adopted children of Michigan veterans. The veteran must have died or become totally and permanently disabled as a result of military service. Students who are applying must be older than 16 and less than 26 years of age.
In addition, the student must be enrolled in a full-time or half-time program, be a resident of Michigan for one year before program application, be a US citizen, permanent resident, or approved refugee, and not a convicted felon. The grant can be renewed if you maintain a minimum CGPA of 2.25 or higher. The scholarship may cover up to 4 years of undergraduate program and a total of up to $11,200.
13. FOZA Scholarship for Awareness of Maternal Suicide
This scholarship is for students who lost a parent due to maternal suicide related to postpartum depression. You must be a Black, Latinx, or Indigenous student in the US attending a post-secondary institution to be eligible for this award. You must also have a GPA of 2.5 or higher. The award is $1,000.
Application requirements for the FOZA Scholarship for Awareness of Maternal Suicide are an official current academic transcript and a one-page essay “Why Community Service is Important to Me”. Indigenous applicants should state tribal affiliation with their application.
14. Operation Second Chance (OSC) Scholarship Program
If you lost a parent through military service and became the child of a single parent through this means, you can apply for the OSC Scholarship Program to receive additional funding to support your education. In each academic year, OSC will award $3,500 to a select number of select children who are high school seniors.
Conclusion
As a child of a single parent, you face unique challenges, but that doesn’t mean you can’t achieve your goals. Scholarships for children of single parents are available to help you succeed, therefore, don’t let your background hold you back. With the scholarships curated here, you can create a path toward achieving your educational goals and becoming who you have always wanted to be.
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