FUNDS FOR EDUCATION AND TRAINING
for Former Foster Children
The Oregon Former Foster Child Scholarship
-- In 2001, a former foster child and attorney, Adam Cornell, wrote
a bill to provide Oregon's foster children tuition assistance at
Oregon Colleges and Universities. The bill passed and the legislature provided $100,000
per biennium to pay former foster children's tuition at state
schools. The actual amount of money available each biennium depends
on state funding. For the past two biennia, no funds have been
appropriated by the legislature. Still, some scholarships are
available due to private donations.
To be eligible youth must:
- Be graduating high school seniors currently in foster care or participating in
Independent Living Program (ILP) or
- GED recipients or continuing college students formerly in foster care
- Apply to Oregon public colleges
The Early Bird deadline for this scholarship is February 16 and the
regular deadline falls on March 2 of each year. Applications become
available in mid-December.
For more
information on how to apply for this and other scholarships
available from the Oregon Student Assistance Commission, visit their
website at
http://www.getcollegefunds.org/eapp.html
The Chafee Education and Training Voucher-- In 2003, the state of Oregon and
the federal government started providing education and training vouchers for former foster children. These
funds have been approved to continue through the 2005-2006 Academic
Year. Eligible former foster youth can access up to $5,000 per year
for scholarships to eligible post-secondary schools (including
vocational programs) and/or vouchers for assistance with other
education and training related costs (tuition, room and board, GED
testing, SAT preparation and testing, books, supplies,
transportation, etc.). Information about eligibility and application
deadlines, as well as the application materials, is available on the
Oregon Student Assistance Commission’s web site at:
http://www.osac.state.or.us/chafeeetv.html
Application deadlines for Chafee scholarships in 2009-2010: