Best Financial Assistance Grants in Rhode Island

Stark Community Foundation is one of the area’s major sources of college scholarship support— thanks to the generosity of caring individuals, families and businesses that have created scholarship funds.

The Foundation currently manages more than 100 scholarship funds that support hundreds of deserving students each year from Stark and Carroll counties. In 2025, more than $1,000,000 was awarded to local students to help them achieve their educational dreams.

The Church of Christ (Christian Disciples) Memorial Scholarship Fund

The Church of Christ (Christian Disciples) Memorial Scholarship Fund was established to help students who have permanent residence in Carroll County, Ohio or had a permanent residence on the date they began their post high school education.

The CDC's grant aims to enhance global public health emergency responses by engaging partners to improve rapid detection and intervention strategies. It seeks to build sustainable programs that strengthen resilience in communities affected by humanitarian crises. With periodic openings for applications, this initiative ensures a diverse roster of partners ready to tackle emerging public health threats effectively. The program underscores the importance of federal support in managing complex health emergencies worldwide.

The Link Foundation offers a one-year renewable fellowship of $35,000 for PhD students focusing on Modeling, Simulation, and Training. This funding aims to support advanced research and allow students to work full-time on their projects. Eligibility includes being enrolled in a PhD program at a U.S. or Canadian university, with no citizenship restrictions. Preference is given to candidates who are in candidacy and have a well-defined thesis, ensuring impactful research outcomes.

Robert B. Baumann Memorial Scholarship Fund

The scholarship was established to provide financial assistance to senior and graduates of any Harvey County, Kansas High School or be a resident of Harvey County, Kansas graduating from a neighboring area high school. Applicants must be pursuing career path in a mechanical or building trade (i.e. carpenter, electrician, auto mechanic, HVAC installer, carpet installer, heavy equipment operator, insulation installer, landscaper, painter plumber, machinist, mechanical drafter, locksmith, mechanical insulator, elector mechanic, mechanical installer, machine and manufacturing field, welder, diesel technologist, and heavy equipment operator). Qualified candidates may plan to attend a 2- or 4-year college or university, community college, trade, technical or vocational school. 

If recipient is interested in reapplying, they must reapply annually. No reminder will be sent to recipients. Consecutive awards are not guaranteed.   

Earl Wineinger Memorial Scholarship Fund

The scholarship was established to provide financial assistance to current graduating Marion County high school seniors who are furthering their careers through higher educational or vocational pursuits. 

Final candidates may be invited for a personal interview in Hillsboro, Kansas. The dollar amount given is based on money available. Recipient will be notified of their award status.

Arizona Community Foundation

For more than four decades, the Arizona Community Foundation has worked in tandem with generous individuals, families, and organizations to address some of the biggest challenges facing our state.

Scholarships

In partnership with our generous donors, we award millions of dollars annually to help students achieve their educational goals. Through our online system, students complete one application and are matched with available scholarships, based on their eligibility requirements.

Alexandra Ryan Swanson Live Your Dream Scholarship

This scholarship was created to support residents and participants in United Methodist Outreach Ministries (UMOM) Housing Programs earn a GED, College Degree, or certificate from a trade or vocational program. Applicants must list out program and supply expenses in the additional questions. Previous recipients may continue to apply in subsequent years through the same application process.

The URAF Conference Funding program at Harvard University provides support for undergraduate students presenting original research at academic conferences. With awards up to $500 for domestic conferences and $750 for international presentations, students must be enrolled and in good standing. The program encourages applications year-round, allowing for different iterations of the same presentation. However, funding cannot be applied retroactively, and group applications are not permitted.

Ellwood City Community Health Foundation Scholarships

The Ellwood City Community Health Foundation will issue scholarships each year to individuals who enroll in higher education to pursue a career in the medical field. The individual needs to be a resident of either Ellwood City, Lawrence County, or Beaver County, Pennsylvania. 

Arizona Community Foundation

For more than four decades, the Arizona Community Foundation has worked in tandem with generous individuals, families, and organizations to address some of the biggest challenges facing our state.

Scholarships

In partnership with our generous donors, we award millions of dollars annually to help students achieve their educational goals. Through our online system, students complete one application and are matched with available scholarships, based on their eligibility requirements.

100 Club of Arizona Scholarship

The 100 Club of Arizona scholarship program provides financial education assistance to immediate family members-children, spouses, or stepchildren (cousins, aunts/uncles or other extended family are not eligible) of sworn or certified public safety or fire employees of any local, municipal, county, state, federal or tribal agency in Arizona.

The Jim Blount Memorial Scholarship, administered by the Marshall County Community Foundation, aims to support graduates from Bremen, John Glenn, LaVille, and Plymouth High Schools in Indiana. This fund provides annual scholarships to assist students pursuing education in vocational and technical fields. By fostering local talent, the foundation connects community members with opportunities to make a meaningful impact in their careers and lives.

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation offers the Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship to outstanding community college students with financial need, providing up to $55,000 per year for two to three years to cover educational expenses. This selective scholarship supports students in completing their bachelor's degrees at accredited institutions. Recipients benefit from personalized advising and a robust network of Cooke Scholars. Eligible candidates must have a minimum GPA of 3.5 and demonstrate unmet financial need, ensuring accessibility to higher education.

The AISES A.T. Anderson Scholarship honors the legacy of A.T. Anderson, a founder of AISES. This scholarship is available to undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at accredited institutions who are members of AISES and demonstrate tribal affiliation. Eligible candidates must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher and pursue any STEM degree. Enrollment documents are required to confirm eligibility, promoting educational opportunities for Native American students.

Neuroscience & Society Grants

Applicants may request up to $150,000 in funding for projects over a period of up to 18 months.

Neuroscience and society is the interdisciplinary study of how neuroscience informs and reflects society, and practical work to put these ideas into action. Neuroscience and society includes fields where neuroscience interfaces with the world, such as ethics, law, humanities, medicine, arts, social sciences, policy, education, journalism, and public engagement. This list is meant to be illustrative, not exhaustive. Other disciplines may fall within the purview of neuroscience and society. 

While neuroscience and society is not the same as neuroethics, bioethics, or science and technology studies, there are areas of overlap. 

Another way we think about it: Neuroscience & society is a paradigm for how we can teach neuroscience to people, train people to do societally relevant neuroscience-focused work, and engage diverse communities of people to shepherd the development and application of neuroscience.   

The AIPG National Undergraduate Scholarship, provided by the American Institute of Professional Geologists, aims to support undergraduate students majoring in geological sciences. With awards ranging from $1,000 to $3,000, this scholarship promotes student participation in the AIPG and helps cover college education costs. Eligible applicants must be at least sophomores and either current student members of AIPG or have applied for membership. Up to ten scholarships will be awarded annually.

Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia

Our Community Foundation was established in Roanoke in 1988. With our growth, we expanded into the Martinsville/Henry County area in 2005. Today, we administer many hundreds of named endowment funds ranging in size from a minimum of $10,000 to millions of dollars. To date, donors have also committed very significant resources to the Foundation through future estate gifts.

Our Mission:Enabling people who love their community to easily give back.

Scholarships

Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia, the region’s community foundation, administers a variety of scholarships to reward and assist capable and deserving students based on the criteria established by the fund donors.

Jim Barker Scholarship Fund

Fund provides higher educational scholarship assistance to deserving students.

The G. Scott Ransom Scholarship Fund, established by Team Duluth and the Duluth/Superior Alpine Club, supports youth athletes aged 5 to 19 in Northeastern Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin. This scholarship, honoring Coach Scott "Race" Ransom, helps cover team fee costs for competitive skiing experiences. By participating, young athletes not only enhance their skiing skills but also gain valuable life skills for future success. Award amounts vary based on individual needs.

Scholarships

Since awarding our first $500 scholarship in 1987, the Saginaw Community Foundation has awarded college scholarships to area students totaling more than $13.7 million, thanks to our generous donors. Each year, over 500 college-bound or career and technical education students benefit from our scholarship awards.

Our single application process makes it easy to potentially qualify for one or more of our 260+ scholarships.

Judge Gary R. McDonald Memorial Scholarship

January 2004 marked the passing of a true champion of justice and compassion for the men and women of Michigan. Judge Gary R. McDonald, beloved father and friend, served the citizens of Saginaw and the rest of Michigan for over 30 years.

In honor of his esteemed service, the family and colleagues of this respected Michigan leader have created the Judge Gary R. McDonald Memorial Scholarship Fund. Its purpose is to grant students of Saginaw County the financial means to pursue a career in a law-related field so that Judge McDonald’s unrelenting pursuit of justice may continue in his honor.

Awarding this scholarship to those in need serves Judge McDonald’s personal mission of inspiring the hearts and minds of our youth to serve our communities for the good of all.

Scholarships

Since awarding our first $500 scholarship in 1987, the Saginaw Community Foundation has awarded college scholarships to area students totaling more than $13.7 million, thanks to our generous donors. Each year, over 500 college-bound or career and technical education students benefit from our scholarship awards.

Our single application process makes it easy to potentially qualify for one or more of our 260+ scholarships.

Junior League of the Great Lakes Bay Region Scholarship

Junior League of the Great Lakes Bay Region is an organization of women committed to promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. The Junior League of the Great Lakes Bay Region is an organization that welcomes for membership all women regardless of age, race, creed, religion or national origin, who demonstrate an interest in and commitment to volunteerism.

The league has had many fundraising events in its history, always with the purpose of returning monies to the community through varied and needed projects. The Junior League of the Great Lakes Bay Region Scholarship is one of those projects.

The Reading is Fundamental Matching Grant for Read for Success empowers local organizations to enhance literacy by providing matching funds for books and resources. Since 1966, RIF has partnered with communities to foster a culture of reading among children in need, offering diverse books that reflect their lives. This grant matches local investments dollar-for-dollar, maximizing the impact of funding for educational programs. Eligible applicants include schools and youth-serving organizations across the U.S., supporting children from birth through grade 12.

Kenny Simon Scholarship

Kenny Simon, a member of the class 1988, met an untimely death in the summer of 1985. Kenny’s parents and friends established a scholarship fund in his honor.

The interest from this fund is to be used annually to provide a scholarship for a deserving member of the graduating class. In the event the scholarship if not applied for by students, the money will be contributed to the Special Olympics Program.

Mark Gradeless Welding Scholarship

This award was created in 2021 to honor the life of Mark “Grady” Gradeless. A 1977 graduate of Columbia City Joint High School, he worked at Dana Corporation, where he tirelessly serviced machines from the age of 18 until his retirement. “Grady” was a member of the United Auto Workers, Steelworkers Union and could often be found in his barn fixing something or tinkering. He was known for his daredevil shenanigans, practical jokes, patience, hard work, common sense advice and ability to uplift those around him. “Grady” was an amazing Dad, Grandfather, Great-Grandfather and friend to all who knew and loved him. This award is for a student attending Ivy Tech Community College for the pursuit of a welding certificate.

The PVA Education Foundation Grant Program, offered by the Paralyzed Veterans of America, supports innovative projects aimed at improving the lives of individuals with spinal cord injury and disease (SCI/D). Grants of up to $75,000 are available for initiatives in consumer education, professional development for healthcare providers, and research translation. This funding enables the development of essential educational tools and resources to enhance health, independence, and quality of life for the SCI/D community.

The Reading is Fundamental Matching Grant - Books for Ownership program supports local literacy initiatives by providing funding for diverse books and literacy resources. Established in 1966, RIF aims to foster a culture of literacy among children in under-resourced communities. Eligible organizations can apply for funding to double their impact through matched funds, ensuring children have access to high-quality books that reflect their experiences and broaden their perspectives.

Horizon of Hope Scholarship

Balancing the responsibilities of family and work can be challenging for anyone, but for single parents who want to improve their lives by continuing their education, juggling the added responsibilities can seem downright overwhelming.

The Horizons of Hope Fund was established to recognize and encourage single parents who have returned to school. Created to help lighten the load, Horizons of Hope assistance can be used for tuition expenses, books, supplies, transportation, childcare, or other living expenses.

Up to $500 per semester is available to single parents.

The Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Topical PCORI Funding aims to support high-quality, patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) focusing on individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This funding opportunity recognizes the diversity of conditions under IDD and the varying support needs among individuals. PCORI encourages the use of both person-first and identity-first language, acknowledging the preferences within the disability community, and aims to enhance the quality of healthcare delivery for these populations.

The Cohen Gordon B Great Scholarship Fund honors Judy Gordon's legacy as a dedicated social worker and educator in Duluth. This fund supports students overcoming adversity, encouraging their pursuit of two-year or four-year degrees. Eligible applicants are graduates from any Duluth high school, with a preference for ESL or non-native English speakers. The scholarship awards $2,000 for one academic year, emphasizing the importance of resilience and belief in every student's potential.

The Fertility Grants (VIVA Program) by the Bob Woodruff Foundation offer vital financial support to wounded veterans facing infertility challenges due to their service-related conditions. Since its inception, the program has assisted over 100 veteran families in starting their own, highlighting a commitment to ensuring veterans have access to necessary fertility treatments. This initiative addresses the unique needs of veterans, recognizing that they experience infertility at nearly double the rate of the general population.