Dollars For Scholars

Why Dollars for Scholars?
Dollars for Scholars, founded in 1958, provides an effective, proven way for you and your community to provide academic support and financial aid to local students. The cost of college keeps rising at a rapid pace, meaning that the very thing many have always believed holds the key to our society’s future—a postsecondary education—is now beyond the financial grasp of many of those who are society’s future. The Dollars for Scholars program empowers communities and groups to help themselves by helping to educate their young people. In turn, it inspires students to achieve by showing that others care about them and their futures.

There are a number of advantages to having your community's scholarships come from a Dollars for Scholars chapter. Affiliation with us means local donors have the opportunity to donate and receive a tax deduction—unlike most high schools, Dollars for Scholars chapters are 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations. In addition, we have a wide and long-standing network of chapters and affiliates, and a number of tools and techniques available for local programs to review and adapt for local use.

An organized effort with a common Dollars for Scholars application will ensure that as many local students as possible will find support, and will hear the message behind the money: "Our community values education, we are behind you, and we wish you well in your future." In addition, more organizations can offer scholarships since Dollars for Scholars takes care of scoring and evaluation using a fair, easy-to-compute point system.

In the end, a coordinated, community-based effort receives far more recognition and publicity than one group could on its own, and all parties involved receive maximum benefit from the scholarship program. To find out how to start a Dollars for Scholars chapter in your community, click here or contact us today.