The 2023 Competitive Scholarship Program is now open. The extended deadline to submit an application is April 16, 2023.
Fairfield County’s Community Foundation manages a large and exciting scholarship program for both graduating high school seniors and full-time students already enrolled in college.
We steward over 150 scholarship funds established by generous individuals, businesses, and nonprofit organizations that help students pursue their college education and strengthen the future of our communities.
These funds cover many different areas of study and may have their own eligibility criteria.
Types of Scholarships
There are three different types of scholarships offered in our program:
Eligibility Requirements
Location Requirements
Must be a graduating senior from any high school in these Greater Bridgeport Area cities and towns: Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Milford, Monroe, Shelton, Stratford, Trumbull or Westport. NOTE: If you are a high school senior at Fairfield Prep, Notre Dame High School (Fairfield) or Lauralton Hall, town of residence does not apply for the Chiota Family Scholarship. Stamford residents only for the Sheyla Ramos Scholarship. Graduating senior from any town in Fairfield or New Haven counties for the Frederick & Elisabeth DeLuca Vocational Scholarship.
Academic requirements
Be in good academic standing. Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.7 (some scholarships may require a higher GPA).
Enrollment Requirements
Must plan to attend and be a full-time student at an accredited 2 or 4-year college or university, vocational school, trade school, technical school or certificate program. Part-time students are not eligible and will not be considered.
Financial requirements
Must have financial need.
Additional requirements
Demonstrate good moral character, good citizenship and a commitment to the community.Participate in extra-curricular activities.
Location Requirements
Be a current full-time undergraduate (not an incoming Freshman) or graduate student enrolled in a program at an accredited college, university or vocational school, or accredited specialized study program.Have a connection to one of these Greater Bridgeport Area cities or towns: Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Milford, Monroe, Shelton, Stratford, Trumbull or Westport, either as a native resident, high school graduate or current resident, as stated in the specific scholarship’s requirements.NOTE: This criteria does not apply for the Megan Cobb & Jason Kern Scholarship for students enrolled at Sacred Heart University, nor for the Theodor Muller Scholarship for students enrolled in the School of Architecture at MIT.
Academic requirements
Demonstrate a history of academic achievement. Minimum cumulative 2.7 GPA.
Enrollment Requirements
Must be enrolled as a full-time student at an accredited 2 or 4-year college or university, vocational school, trade school, technical school or certificate program. Part-time students are not eligible and will not be considered.
Financial requirements
Must have financial need.
Below is what will need to be uploaded in your online application:
- Most current official transcript
- Letter of Recommendation (2nd letter may be required for some scholarships)
- Complete copy of your Student Aid Report (SAR) (available online by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Visit [fafsa.ed.gov link]
- Personal Statement/Essay (2nd essay may be required by some scholarships)High school seniors: if you need your Guidance Counselor to provide any of these documents for you, you will need to let your Guidance Counselor know about this request in person, by phone, or by email. There is an email address and a mailing address listed in the application to which the Guidance Counselor can send these documents. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all documents are received prior to the application deadline.
- You can apply for a maximum of four scholarships.
- Only provide one copy of each of the following items:
- Official transcript
- SAT scores (if applicable)
- SAR Report
- Letter of Recommendation (unless a second Letter of Recommendation is required by the scholarship(s) for which you are applying).
Scholarship FAQ
Our scholarships are available to: graduating high school seniors planning to attend, and be a full-time student at, an accredited 2 or 4-year college or university, vocational school, trade school, technical school or certificate program, and for current full-time undergraduate or graduate students attending an accredited college or university, or enrolled in a specialized or advanced vocational training program.
Applicant needs to be a current resident, native resident, attending a high school in, or be a high school graduate from The Greater Bridgeport Area. The Greater Bridgeport Area consists of nine towns: Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Milford, Monroe, Shelton, Stratford, Trumbull and Westport. There are three exceptions to this requirement. Please see the next question for further details.
Yes and No – The scholarships offered by Fairfield County’s Community Foundation Greater Bridgeport Area Scholarship Program in the online application are limited to students from towns of the Greater Bridgeport Area listed above only.
However, FCCF offers five other scholarships that are designated for students attending various high schools in Fairfield County, or specific colleges that are not contingent upon residency.
- The Chiota Scholarship is open to all graduating high school seniors from Fairfield Prep, Lauralton Hall and Notre Dame High Schools.
- The Megan Cobb & Jason Kern Scholarship is open to all currently enrolled Sacred Heart University students.
- The Sheyla M. Ramos Scholarship is for students that reside in Stamford and are graduating from one of Stamford’s high schools.
In addition to scholarships offered through this Greater Bridgeport Area Scholarship Program, the Foundation offers scholarship opportunities to students at specific high schools throughout Fairfield County. If you are currently a graduating high school senior, check with your school’s guidance department to learn what Foundation scholarships are available this year for your school and information on how to apply. The application and selection process for these designated high-school scholarships are managed by the specific high school.
These scholarships are available to graduating high school seniors and current undergraduate and graduate students planning to attend, and be a full-time student at, an accredited 2 or 4-year college or university, vocational school, trade school, technical school or certificate program. Part-time students are not eligible for any Foundation scholarships and should not complete the application.
You may apply for up to four scholarships and may potentially win a maximum of two.
After you submit your application, you will receive a confirmation email at the email address you provided in your online registration.
No – The scholarship application process is now completely online, and no paper applications will be accepted for consideration. All supporting documents should be submitted electronically using the online application system.
Once inside the online application, students can either upload the required documents from their own computer or generate an email request for materials from the appropriate reference (a guidance counselor, teacher, etc.). Students who do not have a copy of their required student materials should use the “Email Request” function within the application and complete the corresponding section of the application. Again, no paper application materials will be accepted, and all components of the application are to be submitted electronically.
All submitted applications are reviewed by a dedicated Scholarship Selection Committee. Recipients will be selected by mid-June and notified by USPS mail; students who were not awarded scholarships will be notified at the same time by email.
Our online system can only process documents saved as a Word file (.doc) or as a PDF. If you have questions about whether your documents are in an acceptable format, please contact us.
Yes – The Cobb and Kern Scholarship is open to all SHU students who meet its other criteria, regardless of residency. However, the Greater Bridgeport Area constraint applies for all other Foundation scholarships included in the online application, except the Chiota Family Scholarship and Theodor Muller Scholarship.
Yes – The Chiota Family Scholarship is open to all graduating high school seniors from Fairfield Prep, Lauralton Hall and Notre Dame High Schools who meet its other criteria, regardless of residency. However, the Greater Bridgeport Area constraint applies for all other Foundation scholarships included in the online application, except the Cobb & Kern Scholarship and the Theodor Muller Scholarship.
No – Currently, we don’t offer scholarships to students who are neither graduating high school seniors or current college students at the time of application. Scholarship for incoming freshman/first year undergraduates are only for graduating high school seniors.
No – Undocumented students are not eligible to apply for the scholarships offered by FCCF.
The website is updated regularly, so please check back for updates.
