Hello!

AFFCF is pleased to bring you the latest information about the resources you need to help you and your student get ready for post-secondary studies. Right now is a great time for students who will be attending college during the 2023-2024 academic year to apply for scholarships!

Below are scholarship opportunities that are currently open to students who are either undocumented, not currently eligible for federal financial aid, or DACA/TPS recipients. There are a LOT of resources, so be sure to click "View entire message" at the bottom of the screen to view the entire e-mail.
PROPOSITION 308
In November of 2022, Arizona voters approved Proposition 308, which means that students who graduated from Arizona high schools and who attended Arizona high schools for at least two years prior to graduating, regardless of their legal status, will be charged in-state tuition at public Arizona institutions (Arizona public community colleges and Arizona's three public universities, ASU, NAU, and UA).

If you are a student or are working with a student who could not previously enroll in community college or university due to the inability to pay for out-of-state tuition, if the student meets the above criteria, he or she will now be charged in-state tuition at public Arizona institutions.
ARIZONA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS
The Arizona Community Foundation is a great place for students to apply because a student fills out one scholarship application and is matched to all of the offered scholarships that he or she is eligible for!

Some scholarships may have residency requirements or request that a student upload their FAFSA student aid report (SAR), however not all of them do. Additionally, the website and all of the scholarship descriptions can be viewed in Spanish by clicking the "Language" button at the top right of the page.

There are 150 scholarships offered, so students will only be matched to the scholarships that they are eligible for. Students should look at the scholarships offered to determine if they should submit (some require, others do not) letters of recommendation with their application.

The application is open and submitting an application by 3/1/23 will ensure that students meet as many scholarship deadlines as possible.

There is also a page on the website that will help students learn more about the application process and how to prepare for completing the application. There will be a virtual event on 2/9/23 to learn more about the Arizona Community Foundation application process.

Application deadline: Best to apply by 3/1/23
COLLEGE DEPOT SCHOLARSHIP SEARCH TOOL
This is a great online scholarship search tool that allows students to search by "unique circumstance". The entire page can also be viewed in Spanish (or other languages) by clicking the "Translate" button at the top right corner and picking the desired language from the drop down menu at the top.

Application deadlines vary
DOOR OF OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIP
This is a scholarship for current seniors at Phoenix Union High School District high schools. The scholarship application does not require a student complete the FAFSA or submit their Student Aid Report (SAR) if the student is not eligible to receive federal aid. The deadline is fast approaching!

Application deadline: 2/1/23
QUE LLUEVA CAFÉ SCHOLARSHIP
This is a national scholarship ($500) specifically for current high school seniors of Latino/Chicano descent who are undocumented or DACA recipients.

Application deadline: 2/25/23
THE DREAM US SCHOLARSHIP
This is a national scholarship opportunity for students who came to the United States before the age of 16 and before November 1st, 2017. Students can be current high school seniors, have earned their GED, or be current college students. Students who are DACA recipients or who have Temporary Protected Status (TPS) can also apply.

This scholarship only applies to students who are interested in attending partner colleges. The partner colleges in Arizona are listed below, out-of-state partner colleges can be found on the website:

  • Arizona State University
  • Benedictine University (Mesa, AZ)
  • Grand Canyon University
  • Northern Arizona University
  • Phoenix College

Application deadline: 2/28/23
IMMIGRANTS RISING
Immigrants Rising has a scholarship search tool that shows many national scholarships with upcoming deadlines.

Application deadlines vary
SCHOLARSHIPS A-Z
Scholarships A-Z is a Tucson organization that has a scholarship search tool that shows what scholarships are available by month.

Application deadlines vary
ASU DREAM ZONE
Students interested in attending ASU can also take advantage of resources that ASU offers to undocumented students and the Dream Zone website also lists several additional scholarships that are specific to ASU.
UA IMMIGRANT RESOURCE CENTER
Students interested in attending UA can also take advantage of resources that UA offers to undocumented students.
AFFCF RESOURCES
AFFCF has two post-secondary programs for students who reach (or will reach) age 18 in foster care, regardless of legal status:

  • AFFCF has a scholarship program (up to $1,000 for community college students and up to $2,500 for university students) and the application will next open in June of 2023 ahead of the Fall 2023 semester.

  • AFFCF has an emergency fund and vocational tuition fund for post-secondary students. Students can apply for funding for a vocational program (up to $2,000/semester) and can access school supplies.

More information will be provided on both of these programs closer to the AFFCF Scholarship application opening and the start of the 2023-2024 academic year. Detailed information can be found in the AFFCF digital Post-Secondary Education Resource Guide below.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions!

Sincerely,


Erika Klotz
Post-Secondary Program Manager
Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation
(602) 775-5786