The Association of Community College Trustees and Scholarship America Celebrate Community College Month, Connecting Students With Crucial Support

Minneapolis, MN — April 2, 2026 — This April, Scholarship America joins the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) and its member colleges in celebrating Community College Month (#CCMonth). Community and technical colleges play a vital role in powering America’s workforce and expanding economic opportunity, and Scholarship America is proud to help connect their students with the scholarship support they need.  

“Scholarship America firmly believes that community colleges can be the smartest first step, and the strongest next step, for learners pursuing career-ready credentials,” said Mike Nylund, Scholarship America President & CEO. “Along with our sponsors, we are committed to telling community college students they are ‘scholarship material,’ and there’s support out there no matter what their path looks like.” 

“Community college students hold enormous potential to accomplish great educational and economic feats. The one limitation that presents a daunting barrier for many is financial constraints,” said ACCT President and CEO Jee Hang Lee. “Scholarship America has distributed more than six billion dollars in support to more than 3.5 million college students, as well as support for their institutions and their employers. We are grateful to Scholarship America for its partnership this Community College Month and for helping so many students realize their goals year after year.”  

Connecting Community College Students With Scholarships

Community college and technical school graduates are in higher demand than ever, particularly in healthcare careers and skilled trades. Unfortunately, many community college students are struggling to complete their education simply because they can’t access the funding that they need.  

Scholarship America and ACCT are collaborating to ensure those students can find help. 80% of Scholarship America programs are open to career, technical and community college students— students like Mitchell Peterson, a scholarship recipient and medical device engineer who began his college career at Diablo Valley College. Mitchell is now completing a master’s degree and transitioning into the PhD program in Electrical Engineering at Stanford University, and he credits his time in community college with giving him a fresh start. 

“Community college was a smart first step for me because it gave me the opportunity to restart my education after a significant break and build a strong academic foundation,” Mitchell said. “It showed me that you truly get what you put into your education, and that mindset, combined with hard work, ultimately led me to Stanford, where I’ve been able to grow academically, personally, and unfold the life that I’ve been meant to live all along.” 

Collaborating With Partners + Sponsors

Through its member trustees, ACCT is working to promote scholarship opportunities, making sure students across the nation are aware of their options and believe that they are scholarship material. By connecting students with scholarship sponsors like Toyota, ACCT and Scholarship America help drive more applications, allowing more students to afford an education that works for them.  

“Toyota supports offering a variety of educational pathways to students, because we believe each post-secondary option can be as unique as the individual,” says Tiffini Hackett, Senior Analyst, Sustainable Development at Toyota North America. “Two-year and vocational-technical programs align with our commitment to fostering opportunities for growth and innovation. Through the Toyota Scholarship Program, we support pathways to college and career readiness that can help equip students for the evolving skillsets needed for future careers.” 

Connecting students with scholarships and support means we’re not just funding education—we’re investing in the workforce of tomorrow and the communities they will strengthen. 

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Resources for ACCT Members and Institutions 

• Community College Month Homepage/Toolkit 

• Scholarship America Notification Email List: sign up to receive monthly notifications of programs open for application 

• Browse Scholarships on ScholarshipAmerica.org: currently listing 300+ of the 1350+ scholarship programs that will be live this year 

• ACCT Publications: newsletters, magazines and podcasts geared toward administrators, advocates and supporters of community colleges 

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About Scholarship America 

Scholarship America is a non-profit organization that eliminates barriers to educational success so that students can pursue their dream. Since 1958, Scholarship America has distributed $6 billion to more than 3.5 million students. The organization works with partners to give students the support needed to succeed.  

Interested in starting your own scholarship program? Contact Scholarship America at 800-537-4180 or scholarshipdesign@scholarshipamerica.org to discuss how their experts can design and administer a scholarship that aligns with your student impact goals. 

Learn more at scholarshipamerica.org. 

About ACCT 

The Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) is a non-profit educational organization of governing boards, representing more than 6,500 elected and appointed trustees who serve on over 500 governing boards of community, technical, and junior colleges in the United States and beyond. 

These community professionals, business officials, public policy leaders, and leading citizens offer their time and talent to serve on the governing boards of this century’s most innovative higher education institutions—community, junior, and technical colleges—and make decisions that affect over 1,000 colleges and over 10 million students annually. Learn more at acct.org