FAFSA form required for need-based scholarships

FORT MYERS, Fla. (Feb. 13, 2017) – The deadline for the Southwest Florida Community Foundation’s scholarship application process is fast approaching with less than two weeks left to apply.

Closing on March 3, the scholarship application process is available through the Foundation’s online portal at www.floridacommunity.com/scholarships. Students may apply for multiple scholarships and upload transcripts, SAT/ACT scores, letters of recommendation and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) report, as well as access an online tutorial about how to create and submit the online application. 

Approximately $500,000 in scholarship money for the 2017-2018 school year is available through more than 50 scholarships for local high school students, undergraduate and graduate students from Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee counties.

Need-based scholarships require the FAFSA form, which is available at www.fafsa.gov. Educators, mentors, parents and students can find resources to complete the FAFSA form through the local FAFSA first website recently launched by the FutureMakers Coalition at http://fafsafirst.org/. The goal of the FutureMakers Coalition is to transform the workforce by increasing the number of Southwest Florida residents with degrees, certificates and other high-quality credentials by the year 2025.

The Southwest Florida Community Foundation, founded in 1976, cultivates regional change for the common good through collective leadership, social innovation and philanthropy to address the evolving community needs in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties. It partners with individuals, families and corporations who have created more than 400 philanthropic funds. Thanks to them, the Community Foundation has invested $5 million in grants and programs to the community. With assets of $93 million, it has provided more than $67 million in grants and scholarships to the communities it serves since inception. It is the backbone organization for the regional FutureMakers Coalition and Lee County’s Sustainability Plan. Based in Fort Myers, the Community Foundation has satellite offices located in Sanibel Island, LaBelle (Hendry County), and downtown Fort Myers.  For more information, visit www.FloridaCommunity.com or call 239-274-5900.