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
• Expired 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

$2,000 CollegeXpress Community Service Scholarship for Multicultural Students

• Eligibility: This scholarship is open to students who will be college freshmen in the fall
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: April 1st of each year

$1,000 WayUp Diversity & Inclusion Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to undergraduate students who share passion and vision for diversity and inclusion 
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: June 1, 2021

$500 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: April 1, 2021

Paradigm Challenge Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to students ages 4 to 18 who want to “develop new ideas to improve personal help”
• Amount: Varies
• Deadline: May 1, 2021

Reputation Rhino Protection and Preservation of Wildlife and Nature Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to undergraduate college students with a demonstrated interest and career plan in the conservation of endangered species. Essay required. 
• Amount: $500
• Deadline: June 3, 2021

Scholars Helping Collars Scholarship

• Eligibility: Graduating high school seniors who volunteer for animal welfare
• Amount:   $1,500 
• Deadline:  February 28, 2021

Union Plus Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to 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, 2021

Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarships

• Eligibility: Open to high school students who are vegetarians or vegans
• Amount: $10,000
• Deadline: February 21, 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

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, 2021

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. $2,000 CollegeXpress Community Service Scholarship for Multicultural Students
2. $1,000 WayUp Diversity & Inclusion ScholarshipAct Locally Scholarship
3. $500 Act Locally Scholarship
4. Paradigm Challenge Scholarship
5. Reputation Rhino Protection and Preservation of Wildlife and Nature Scholarship
6. Scholars Helping Collars Scholarship
7. Union Plus Scholarship
8. Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarships
9. A “Voice For Cats” Essay Contest 
10. Women’s Army Corps Veterans’ Association Scholarship

Expired scholarships

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 20

Cameron Impact Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors with a strong academic and volunteering record 
• Amount: $20,000 to $50,000 per year
• Deadline: September 11

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, but most are December 11

Horatio Alger Career & Technical Scholarships

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

Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors with demonstrated financial need
• Amount: $40,000
• Deadline: November 13

Prudential Spirit of Community Awards

• 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 10

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