We know the costs of continuing your education are always increasing. On this page, we have pulled together a variety of resources and sources that we hope you will find helpful as you search for resources to ease the financial burden of higher education.
Scholarships and Financial Aid for Youth Who Were or Are in Care
- Brighter Star–Flexible funding for youth formerly in out-of-home care to help them reach their goals.
- The Fostering Adoption to Further Student Achievement Act became law as an amendment to the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (Public Law 110-84). This law includes a revised definition of an “independent student.” The revised definition of “independent student” extends to youth who were in foster care on or after their 13th birthday, even if they have subsequently been adopted.
- Foster Care to Success: America’s Fund for Foster Youth (Formerly OFA). This program offers scholarships for academic or vocational training beyond high school for foster and former foster youths throughout the United States.
- Foster Youth to College: Opening the Doors to College
- National Foster Parent Association Scholarship: The NFPA offers scholarships for foster youth, adopted youth, or biological youth of currently licensed foster parents who wish to further their education beyond high school. Foster parents must also be members of NFPA
- Wisconsin Department of Children and Families Youth Services Paying for College
- Wisconsin DCFS Scholarship Application for Youth in Out-of-Home Care: The Department of Children and Family Services awards scholarships of up to $5,000 (renewable from year to year) for youth who have been in out-of-home care and are entering into a degree, license, or certificate program.
Other Scholarship and Financial Aid Opportunities
- Accredited Schools Online has created an easy-to-use, in-depth financial aid guide that provides a wealth of knowledge for those applying for financial aid for online education so that both students and parents can make well-informed, financially-conscious decisions about their future. In the guide, you will find various types of loans and scholarships explained, excerpts from financial aid experts, and tips for how to repay loans in a timely fashion with as little interest as possible.
- Center for Native American Youth
- College Affordability Guide
- CourseHero.com offers different opportunities, including scholarships for veterans, first-generation college students, and community volunteers.
- Fastweb.com and Scholarships.com help students of all ages and backgrounds find the money for college.
- FinAid
- Harvard Free Tuition for Low-Income Students: To find out more about Harvard offering free tuition for families making less than $40,000 a year, visit Harvard’s financial aid website.
- The Hispanic Scholarship Fund is the nation’s leading organization supporting Hispanic higher education. HSF was founded in 1975 with a vision to strengthen the country by advancing college education among Hispanic Americans – the largest minority segment of the U.S. population.
- Historically Black College & University Scholarships
- Kids Matter Inc. has additional information and resources about financial aid and scholarships.
- Mapping Your Future is a national, collaborative, public service project of the financial aid industry – bringing together the expertise of the industry to provide free college, career, financial aid, and financial literacy services for students, families, and schools.
- Scholarship America has awarded more than one billion dollars to more than one million students.
- Talent Incentive Program provides assistance to needy students attending colleges and universities in Wisconsin. For more information, contact the Department of Public Instruction at 608-261-1057.
- The Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund was established in 1987 to carry on Justice Marshall’s legacy of equal access to higher education by supporting exceptional merit scholars attending America’s Public Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
- United Negro College Fund: Since 1985, the UNCF Scholarships and Grants Administration office has awarded scholarship assistance of over $105 million to over 28,000 students enrolled in its 39 member colleges and universities and other HBCUs and majority institutions as well. We provide support in numerous ways to a variety of constituencies.
Other Higher Education Information
- ACT is an independent, not-for-profit organization that provides more than a hundred assessment, research, information, and program management services in the broad areas of education and workforce development. ACT helps people achieve education and workplace success.
- Federal Student Aid, an office of the U.S. Department of Education, ensures that all eligible individuals can benefit from federally funded or federally guaranteed financial assistance for education beyond high school. We consistently champion the promise of postsecondary education to all Americans—and its value to our society.
- FAFSA Tips for Applicants in Unique Situations: The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) developed a tip sheet to help federal student aid applicants in unique situations tackle tricky questions on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The tip sheet provides FAFSA tips for:
- Single parents
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Family (TANF) recipients
- Wards of the court
- Foster youth
- State of Wisconsin Higher Educational Aids Board
- Information on the Wisconsin Educational Opportunity Program (WEOP) in your area for youth beginning in middle school through high school to get them thinking about post-secondary education, whether at technical school or four-year institutions.
- Wisconsin Students Go 2 College (WSG2C) is the name of the Wisconsin-based American College Application Campaign.
- Wisconsin Tribal Colleges. Wisconsin is home to the College of the Menominee Nation and Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Community College.
