DECEMBER 15, 2021 – Applications are now open for the Scholarships for Military Children Program for academic year 2022 – 2023.
The program, now entering its 22nd year, recognizes the contributions of military families to the readiness of the fighting force and celebrates the commissary’s role in enhancing military quality of life. It’s administered by Fisher House Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping service members, veterans and their families. Thus far, the program has awarded more than $21 million to 12,312 students, selected from a pool of nearly 109,000 applicants.
“For the 22nd year in a row, commissaries are honored to be a part of a program that provides the children of military service members with this valuable financial boost to their higher education goals,” said Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Michael R. Saucedo, senior enlisted advisor to the DeCA director. “We at the Defense Commissary Agency again extend our thanks to the Fisher House Foundation as well as the generous industry partner donors and others that make these scholarships possible for so many deserving families each year.”
Funding for the program comes from commissary business partners and other contributions to Fisher House Foundation designated specifically for the scholarship programs.
“Fisher House Foundation is grateful for our longstanding partnership with the Defense Commissary Agency providing scholarships to these very deserving military kids,” said Chairman and CEO of Fisher House Foundation, Ken Fisher. “We are also fortunate to have incredible donors that are committed to helping military families through our scholarship program.”
Selection qualifications are straightforward. Requirements include completing the application; submission of the student’s official transcript indicating a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale for high school applicants, or college transcript indicating a cumulative minimum GPA of 2.5 or above on a 4.0 scale for students already enrolled in college; and a 500 word essay. The subject of the essay is listed at the militaryscholar.org website under “Scholarships for Military Children.”
Eligibility for the program is determined using the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System database. Applicants should ensure that they, as well as their sponsor, are enrolled in the DEERS database and have a current military dependent ID card. The applicant must also be planning to attend or already be attending an accredited college or university, full time, in the fall of 2022 or be enrolled in a program of studies designed to transfer directly into a four-year program.
Applicants who are awarded a full scholarship to attend a college or university or receive an appointment to one of the service academies or affiliated preparatory schools 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 expenses.
For scholarship year 2022-23, Fisher House Foundation will award 500 scholarship grants of $2,000 each. The selection process will begin immediately following the application deadline of February 17, at 11:59 p.m. PST.
All rules and requirements for the Scholarships for Military Children program, as well as links to frequently asked questions are available at militaryscholar.org.
Fisher House Foundation also has a free, easy to use custom scholarship search engine tailored to military families called “Scholarships for Service.” It’s available on both mobile devices and desktop computers at militaryscholar.org.
About DeCA:
The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America’s military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.
By Mike Perron, DeCA public affairs specialist