General Scholarship Application

Access dozens of scholarships with just one application.

The Sturgis Area Community Foundation offers scholarship opportunities for graduating seniors and current college students who graduated from high schools in St. Joseph County, Michigan.

SACF General Scholarship Application – Now Open!

SACF offers scholarship opportunities for graduating seniors and current college students who graduated from high schools in St. Joseph County, Michigan, and are pursuing a college degree (2-year and 4-year) or trade school program. With 46 different scholarships available, applicants completing SACF’s General Scholarship Application will be automatically reviewed for every scholarship they are eligible to receive.

Scholarship Portal

The 2026 application in now open!

Scholarship Timeline

Application Opens

December 10, 2025

Application Deadline

March 1, 2026

Scholarship Award Notifications

April 3, 2026

Deadline to RSVP for Scholarship Awards Reception

April 17, 2026

Scholarship Awards Reception (graduating seniors)

April 24, 2026, from 5:30 – 7:00 PM

Scholarship Acceptance Form Due

June 13, 2026

Award Checks Mailed to Colleges

July 10, 2026

March

All submitted applications will be processed and reviewed by independent scholarship committees. Throughout the month, trained committee members will carefully consider and score scholarship applications based on a variety of criteria.

April

All applicants will be notified of their application status by email on April 3rd. Students who are selected for an award will also receive a Scholarship Award Letter in the mail, outlining their award details and the steps needed to accept it. To accept the scholarship, recipients must log into their account and complete the Scholarship Acceptance Form. This form must be complete by June 13, 2026.

To celebrate our Scholarship Recipients, the Community Foundation will be hosting a Scholarship Reception on Thursday, April 24 from 5:30 – 7:00 pm at Sturges-Young Center for the Arts. Recipients who received an award can RSVP through the button below. Please complete the RSVP form by April 17 to save your spot! Due to capacity limitations, only graduating high school seniors will receive an invitation to the Scholarship Awards Reception.

Questions?

Contact us at (269) 659-8508 or email

scholarships@sturgisfoundation.org

General Scholarship FAQs

December 10th, 2025

March 1st, 2026, at 9:30 PM

Graduating high school students of St. Joseph County and current undergraduate college students who graduated from a high school in St. Joseph County.

To access the online application, click HERE.

Or find the “Scholarship Portal” button near the top of the page.

Yes, once you reach the login page of our scholarship application portal, you will need to create an account by clicking the button “Create New Account”

Please use an alternative email address from your high school email. College students may use their college/university email address.

Yes, an unofficial transcript is acceptable as long as it is clearly labeled with your name, current academic year, cumulative grade point average, and the name of the high school, college, or university. For high school seniors, your first-semester senior-year grades must be recorded, along with your cumulative grade point average. Grade point average must be reported based on a 4.0 unweighted scale.

Each essay is read and reviewed as part of the selection process. Applicant essays will be scored on:

  • Content: The ideas are substantial and well-illustrated. The writing demonstrates a high level of development and sophistication, with well-crafted ideas that are effectively communicated.

  • Quality: The essay has a well-organized format and contains few spelling and grammar mistakes.

The essay may be the most challenging part of your application to complete. But, it is also where you can stand out from the crowd. The key to writing a strong essay is to be personal and specific. Include details you feel comfortable sharing about yourself so the reader can get to know who you are and what you stand for. Be truthful and honest.

Scholarship committees may have 100+ essays to review. It is your job to get their attention. Remember to:

  • Think before you write. Brainstorm to generate some good ideas and create an outline to help you get going. Make sure to address the prompt you choose clearly.

  • Be original and be creative in your answers. Show, don’t tell. Use examples to individualize your essay. Demonstrate the point you want to make. Avoid vagueness to make a strong impression.

  • Proofread. This is very important! You want to avoid any typos in your essay. Check spelling and grammar. Share your statement with a friend, parent/guardian, or teacher. Another pair of eyes can catch errors you might miss!

  • Create a portrait of a winner. By doing this on paper, you create a vivid portrait that will depict the person behind the grades, activities, and awards. If a reviewer feels like they know you, you have done your job and created a powerful emotional connection that elevates your application and makes it stand out.

The Foundation expects scholarship applicants to write their own original essays without the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) programs. If it is suspected or discovered that an applicant has used AI to complete their essay, the applicant will be disqualified from consideration.

Yes. Occasionally a student may be selected for more than one of the Community Foundation scholarship funds.

On April 3rd all applicants will be notified via email about the status of their application.

Applicant Resources

MIStudentAid

See all of the student aid programs offered by the state of Michigan.

KnowHow2Go

Informative website to help you make your college dreams a reality.

Bestcolleges.com

Streamlines the process of gaining financial aid for college with a comprehensive scholarship database, and a step-by-step guide to FAFSA.