Hope and Opportunity Scholarship

Who is this scholarship meant for?
College students interested in applying for our Fall 2025 Hope and Opportunity Scholarship are required to meet the following criteria:
Applicants spent a portion or entirety of their childhood in the foster care system.

• Applicants should be pursuing either an undergraduate or graduate degree at an accredited university within the United States.
• Applicants should be at least 17 years of age.
• Applicants should be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

What are the requirements to apply?

• Our application asks students to provide evidence of enrollment in an accredited college or university.
• This may include unofficial transcripts, acceptance letters, class schedules, or something similar.
• Additionally, all applicants must provide the requested contact information included in the application form. For the next part of our application, we ask students to include a 500-word essay answering the following prompt:

Essay Prompt
Reflect on a specific challenge you faced while in foster care and how it contributed to your personal growth.

How are applications evaluated?
Scholarship essays will need to meet the following standards to be considered:

• Does the essay focus on the prompt and meet the required word count?
• Is the essay reflective of the applicant’s personal and authentic experiences?
• Is the essay well thought through, organized, and of high quality?