By Will Geiger

Will Geiger is the co-founder of Scholarships360 and has a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. He is a former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Kenyon College where he personally reviewed 10,000 admissions applications and essays. Will also managed the Kenyon College merit scholarship program and served on the financial aid appeals committee. He has also worked as an Associate Director of College Counseling at a high school in New Haven, Connecticut. Will earned his master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania and received his undergraduate degree in history from Wake Forest University.

Updated: October 4th, 2021

Are you active in your local town, city, or neighborhood? Do you love spending your spare time volunteering with local nonprofits? If so, you may want to apply for community service scholarships that reward students who contribute to their communities. Many private organizations and colleges aim to specifically support students who are going to make a difference in the world.

Jump ahead to:

• Top community service scholarships
• Tips for students who want to get involved with community service
• Summary of community service scholarships
• Upcoming scholarships

Community service scholarships reward students who are active citizens in their communities! Keep on reading to learn more about award amount, eligibility requirements, and deadlines!

Top community service scholarships

Cameron Impact Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors with a strong academic and volunteering record 
• Amount: $20,000 to $50,000 per year
• Deadline: Early Application Deadline: May 21, 2021 – 12pm (NOON) PT FINAL Application Deadline: September 10, 2021 – 12pm (NOON) PT

Act Locally Scholarship 

• Eligibility: High school and undergraduates with an interest in volunteering or working to better their local community through social, environmental, or economic change
• Amount: $500
• Deadline: October 29, 2021

Prudential Emerging Visionaries

• Eligibility: Student volunteers in grades 5-12 as of November 5 who are legal residents of the US
• Amount: $1,000 to $11,000
• Deadline: November 4, 2021

Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors with demonstrated financial need
• Amount: $40,000
• Deadline: November 18, 2021

Stephen J. Brady Stop Hunger Scholarships

• Eligibility: Applicants ages 5-25 who demonstrate an on-going commitment to their community by performing unpaid volunteer services impacting US hunger within the last 12 months
• Amount: $1,000 to $5,000 (and an additional $5,000 for charity of winners’ choice)
• Deadline: December 5, 2021

Denny’s Hungry for Education Scholarships

• Eligibility: All high school and college students with at least a 2.5 GPA who share their ideas to fight childhood hunger
• Amount: $1,000 to 3,000
• Deadline: Varies (most are due December 10, 2021)

Burger King Scholars

• Eligibility: Students who are applying as a full-time freshman to a four-year accredited, college in the US
• Amount: Varies
• Deadline: December 15, 2021

“Voice For Cats” Essay Contest 

• Eligibility: Incoming and current college students who submit an animal rescue essay
• Amount: $1,000 to the scholarship winner, and $1,000 to the animal rescue of choice
• Deadline: December 31, 2021

Union Plus Scholarship

• Eligibility: Undergraduate and graduate students who are current or retired members of participating unions as well as their spouses and their dependent children.
• Amount: $4,000
• Deadline: January 31, 2022

Women’s Army Corps Veterans’ Association Scholarship

• Eligibility: Female high school seniors who are the child, grandchild, niece or nephew of an Army Service Woman.
• Amount: $1,500
• Deadline: February 2, 2022

DAV Jesse Brown Memorial Youth Scholarship

• Eligibility: Student volunteers ages 21 or younger who have volunteered for a minimum of 100 hours in service to veterans
• Amount: $75,000 per years as follows: $20,000; $15,000; $10,000; $7,500 (2); and $5,000 (3)
• Deadline: February 28, 2022

Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarships

• Eligibility: High school students who are vegetarians or vegans
• Amount: $10,000
• Deadline: February 20, 2o22

Scholars Helping Collars Scholarship

• Eligibility: Graduating high school seniors who volunteer for animal welfare
• Amount:   $1,500 
• Deadline:  February 28, 2022

Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes

• Eligibility: U.S. or Candian residents between 8 and 18 years of age who have worked on an “inspiring service project” within the past year
• Amount: $10,000
• Deadline: April 15, 2022 (Opens in January, but start thinking about your project now!)

Paradigm Challenge Scholarship

• Eligibility: Students ages 4 to 18 who want to “develop new ideas to improve personal help”
• Amount: Varies
• Deadline: May 1, 2o22

Horatio Alger Career & Technical Scholarships

• Eligibility: Students with demonstrated who are attending technical school
• Amount: $2,500
• Deadline: July 15, 2022

Tips for students who want to get involved with community service

• When looking for community service opportunities try to start with your own interests! For instance, if you love history, check out your local historical society.
• Don’t be shy! Many volunteering opportunities will not be formally advertised so you may need to send out some cold emails to organizations you are interested in working with.
• If you can’t find an opportunity, create one! If you have a little bit of an entrepreneurial spirit you can start something to make a positive social impact in your community

Community service in the COVID-19 world

We know that students in the 2020-2021 academic year may not have the same in-person opportunities for community service. Savvy students will adapt community service to the virtual world. Think virtual tutoring, remote internships with nonprofits, and digital activism.

Summary of community service scholarships

1. Cameron Impact Scholarship
2. Act Locally Scholarship
3. Prudential Emerging Visionaries
4. Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship
5. Stephen J. Brady Stop Hunger Scholarships
6. Denny’s Hungry for Education Scholarships
7. Burger King Scholars
8. A “Voice For Cats” Essay Contest 
9. Union Plus Scholarship
10. Women’s Army Corps Veterans’ Association Scholarship
11. DAV Jesse Brown Memorial Youth Scholarship
12. Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarships
13. Scholars Helping Collars Scholarship
14. Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes
15. Paradigm Challenge Scholarship
16. Horatio Alger Career & Technical Scholarships

Upcoming community service scholarships

BBB Students of Integrity Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors who live in Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana/ W. Wyoming, Oregon, and Washington
• Amount: $2,500

 Brower Youth Awards

• Eligibility: Students ages 13 to 22 who are environmental change leaders. Open to students living in North America (including Mexico, Canada, and some Caribbean Islands) and U.S. territories
• Amount: $3,000 cash prize, a short film about their work created by an Emmy Award-winning film crew, and a 100% paid for weeklong trip to the San Francisco Bay Area (including airfare and lodging)