Welcome to Pittsfield Dollars for Scholars!
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Serving:
Pittsfield High School and Taconic High School
For some of you, this will be your first introduction to your local chapter of Dollars for Scholars®even though the organization has been providing scholarships for Pittsfield students for over 50 years. Pittsfield Dollars for Scholars® is the new name for the Citizens Scholarship Foundation® of Pittsfield. We have always been a chapter of Scholarship America® Dollars for Scholars but this year is different. This year our students will not only complete their applications online to compete for local scholarships but will also be able to compete for thousands of national scholarships and awards through this electronic connection to the national organization! We can't be more thrilled about this new website and these new opportunities. We hope you are too!
Students and Parents
First, for those of you who are ready to rock and roll, the open period to apply for Pittsfield Dollars for Scholars scholarships is limited to between April 1, 2018 and May 11, 2018. However, you should start your profile as soon as possible. The more time you spend with it, the better you will show yourself -- and that's what we want to see -- YOU.
To register online and begin the process, simply click the "Students and Parents" tab above, located on the menu bar. You will find the login page where you can register and students can get their profile started and parents can register and learn about their part in the scholarship process.
Although, students must be seniors to become eligible for our scholarships, any student regardless of graduation year may create a profile today! First of all, filling out your profile starting when you are freshman gives you a place to store data that might otherwise be hard to remember when you're a senior. You can store job and club information, test scores, etc. in a secure place. No more wondering where those test scores went! Second of all, there are all types of scholarships - especially on the local level - that are designated for continuing education, technical schools, graduate school, even if you are not "needs based" in applying for scholarships, there is still a potential to be awarded. Higher education is just that - an education that teaches beyond high school. With your profile up and done, there is a whole world of education open to you!
Remember to visit this site often for news, event information and information on issues that will affect your college search. Keep working on your profile throughout your high school career - an up-to-date profile, well filled out, is your best ticket to scholarships!
Matching Grants for Graduating Seniors
Through Scholarship America Dollars for Scholars, there is a matching grant program that is available both for graduating seniors as well as for those applying for Continuing Education grants. However, you need to be aware of something that could affect your choice of college/university. Matching grants are available only through certain Scholarship America Dollars for Scholars Partners. This year, some local partners were: Dean, Endicott, Lesley, Johnson & Wales (RI), Stonehill, Sacred Heart (CT), UMASS-Dartmouth, and Suffolk. This is not a complete list - there are partners all over the country. Please check the Scholarship America Dollars for Scholars website for a national list.
What is a matching grant and how does it work? As an example, a student applies through the Pittsfield Dollars for Scholars and is awarded $2000 to attend a Scholarship America Dollars for Scholars partner college/university. After notification of the award is made public, Pittsfield Dollars for Scholars volunteers identify students enrolled in partner colleges/universities, and fill out forms to mail to the colleges/universities asking the college to "match" the amount of money given to the student by the Pittsfield Dollars for Scholars. Partner colleges and universities identify how much money they will allocate to make up this unmet need - it varies by institution and by year. Pittsfield Dollars for Scholars automatically sends the student a letter telling them that a form has been sent to their college/university asking that they receive this award. Pittsfield Dollars for Scholars also lets the student know what to do to make sure they receive it. If the college/university agrees and if there is available money, then the award could become $4000, not the $2000 the student was awarded to begin with! So far as we know, for the last several years, ALL student awards have been doubled.
