Scholarships for Military Children
Commissaries are an integral part of the quality of life offered to service members and their families. The Scholarships for Military Children Program was created in recognition of the contributions of military families to the readiness of the fighting force and to celebrate the role of the commissary in the military family community. It is the intent of the program that a scholarship funded through contributions be awarded annually for each commissary operated by the Defense Commissary Agency worldwide.
The Scholarships for Military Children Program is primarily funded through the generosity of manufacturers and suppliers whose products are sold at military commissaries, worldwide. The Fisher House Foundation volunteered to underwrite the administration of this program.
A minimum of one $1500 scholarship will be awarded at every commissary location where qualified applications are received. More than one scholarship per commissary may be available based on response and funding. The scholarship provides for payment of tuition, books, lab fees and other related expenses.
Only dependent unmarried children under age 23 of active duty personnel, reserve/guard and retired military members, or survivors of service members who died while on active duty or survivors of individuals who died while receiving retired pay from the military, may apply for a scholarship. Applicants should ensure that they, as well as their sponsor, are currently enrolled in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) database and that they have a current ID card. The DEERS database will be the primary method of verifying eligibility.
Applicants must be enrolled, or planning to enroll, in a full-time undergraduate degree program at an accredited college or university in the fall term of 2009. Applicants who have earned an undergraduate degree or who are enrolled in a graduate degree program are not eligible. All applicants must also have a minimum GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 basis) to be eligible to apply. The minimum GPA requirement applies to both high school and college students. Students attending a community or junior college must be enrolled in a program of studies designed to allow the student to transfer directly into a four-year program. Applicants who receive an appointment to one of the U.S. Military Academies (or affiliated preparatory schools) or are awarded a full scholarship at any accredited U.S. post-secondary institution of higher education are not eligible to receive funds from this program. A full scholarship is usually defined as one that provides for payment of tuition, books, lab fees, and other related expenses.
Applicants, or their sponsors, need not live at an installation that has a commissary. Applicants may submit their application at any commissary, however it is recommended that they submit the application where their sponsors normally shop or closest to where their sponsors live. It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to ensure the commissary receives the application.
If it is not possible (due to distance considerations) for the applicants to submit their applications in person, they may also mail, UPS, or FedEx their completed applications to the commissary nearest to where their sponsor is stationed. Applicants who choose this method must contact that commissary and obtain the name of a person to whom the package will be directed. (A complete list of commissaries, along with phone numbers, can be found at www.commissaries.com).
Important websites:
Scholarships for Military Children Program http://www.militaryscholar.org/
Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) database https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/swg/owa/WebGuard.Login?APPL=9025&RULE=01
Commissaries.com http://www.commissaries.com
Fisher House Foundation http://www.fisherhouse.org/