applications are now open - apply today!

Deadline for scholarships (unless otherwise noted) IS:

Saturday, MARCH 1, 2025

(Application Closes at 11:59pm)

 

Questions about the application process? Talk to your high school guidance counselor or contact Megan DeHoog at mdehoog@c3f.org. 

 

The Charlevoix County Community Foundation (C3F) offers scholarships to help area students with financial responsibilities associated with higher education. Most scholarships offered through the C3F are for graduating seniors (primarily graduating from a Charlevoix County school) as they pursue higher education, however a few opportunities exist for those in neighboring counties or for those already in a post-secondary program and continuing in a specific field of study. To see all opportunities and deadlines follow the "Begin your Application Today" link below. By filling out the initial application, the system will filter the scholarships that you may be eligible for, should you complete all of the requirements. 

 

begin your application today

 

Process Overview

1. Create an account using your email address. Please do NOT use your high school email address, as you will not use this email after high school graduation.
2. Fill out the entire application. Applications can be started, saved, and completed at a later date if needed.
3. Complete any supplemental questions for the scholarships listed on your "dashboard"- each one will require that you "submit" separately. 
4. Deadline to apply is March 1, 2025.
5. Scholarship recipients will be announced at the end of May. Continuing education recipients will hear from the C3F directly in July.
6. Scholarships MUST be claimed by July 1st, in order to be processed in time.

***Note: If you are in the Early College Program you should apply for scholarships in your 5th year, the last year of the Early College Program.

 

Continuing Education (already in post-secondary school)

All Medical Field and Nursing Field scholarships are due by June 30, 2025

• Medical Field: 
        Munson Healthcare Charlevoix Hospital Staff Education Scholarship
• Nursing Field: 
        Munson Healthcare Charlevoix Hospital Nursing 
        Nursing Collaborative Scholarship, supported by: 
             Bill and Jerry Brady Memorial Scholarship Fund 
             Edna Brown Nursing Scholarship Fund
             Peggy Carey Northway Nursing Scholarship Fund

 

Award & Payment Process:

If you are awarded a scholarship, you will be asked to log back into the scholarship system (the same way that you applied) to claim your scholarship and provide any additional information needed. Scholarship checks WILL NOT be processed until you claim your scholarship online. The Community Foundation will make scholarship checks payable to the program, college, or university indicated on the follow up claim form and the check will be sent directly to the financial aid office in mid to late July. Colleges will likely reflect the scholarship in student accounts in early August. The scholarship will be split between the semesters/terms. If a scholarship is renewable, see below for more information.  

• NOTE:  Students may request a deferred payment for up to one year. Such deferrals may be renewed annually, on a case-by-case basis, depending on the student's circumstances. Please contact the Community Foundation at 231-536-2440 or email mdehoog@c3f.org if you need to take advantage of having your scholarship deferred. Scholarships must be claimed or deferred by OCTOBER 31st.
• If a refund is issued back to the Community Foundation for all or a portion of the unused award, the student will be contacted via email and phone, if on file. The student will need to respond within 60 days of the refund to defer or transfer the scholarship, whichever is needed. If the scholarship is no longer needed, please let the Community Foundation know. 

 

Scholarship Renewals:

Scholarship renewals will be managed through the scholarship system online and will need to be renewed annually. 

• If your scholarship is renewable, you will be contacted via email in early June of the next year to prompt you to go online to complete any necessary follow ups. Completing the follow up is how you "claim" your scholarship. All follow ups for renewals are due by July 1st, annually. 
• Students must maintain eligibility to be considered for any renewal. Eligibility can vary but generally it includes that a student must maintain a 2.0 or higher GPA. 
• Renewals are also eligible for a deferral, if permission is granted. Students must communicate with C3F staff if this is needed.

 

Scholarship displacement

Scholarship displacement is when financial aid is reduced because of other incoming scholarships, due to having “too much funding”.

It happens when:

              Scholarships > Federally Determined Financial need (gap)

                                           OR

              Scholarships > Cost of Attendance

Some colleges may revise the financial aid package that they made you aware of by replacing some of the institution’s scholarships or grants they awarded with the external scholarship the student reports. This is when scholarship displacement occurs.

The student may have thought they would be able to use their additional scholarship as an added resource to reduce loans or out-of-pocket costs, when in fact their additional scholarship just replaced another scholarship, which may lead to additional need for loans in another year.

What can be done to stop this from happening?

Once you receive your financial aid package (all college-based scholarships and grants) and know the gap in funding you have for the year, make sure that the outside (community foundation, or other) scholarships being sent to the college are not greater than that gap. If they are not, you should be fine. If they are greater in amount than the gap, you will likely want to ask that only part of your scholarships (the gap amount) is released and ask to defer the remainder for another year. This will help to stretch your earned dollars and lessen the chance for additional loans in your future years at college.