Featured Scholarships: January 2026

As we kick off 2026, new scholarship opportunities from Scholarship America’s program sponsors abound. We’re here to connect you with the scholarships that fit for you, whatever your educational goals are!

In this month’s spotlight, we’re featuring two major programs for families impacted by chronic health conditions: the Vertex Foundation Scholarship for students and caregivers affected by cystic fibrosis, and the Northwestern Mutual Childhood Cancer Survivor and Sibling scholarships. Additionally, we’re proud to announce an array of scholarships for high school seniors in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, thanks to The Pittsburgh Foundation.

Learn more about these options, and to see everything that’s open now and coming soon, visit our Browse Scholarships listing.

Vertex Foundation Scholarship Program

The Vertex Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)(3) foundation, seeks to improve the lives of people with serious diseases and to contribute to the communities where Vertex Pharmaceuticals is located through education, innovation and health. Established in 2017, the Foundation is a long-term source of charitable giving and is an extension of Vertex’s corporate giving commitment.

To help families and caregivers who have been impacted by cystic fibrosis (CF), the Vertex Foundation Scholarship Program offers awards of $5,000 to eligible students who are pursuing two-year, three-year, and four-year undergraduate and graduate degrees. Since 2017, the program has awarded over 723 scholarships to members of the CF community.

Recent recipients include Antonina, whose brother lives with CF, who is pursuing a theater degree in order to create spaces for underrepresented and misrepresented voices; and Kyla, whose brother’s struggles inspired her to pursue a degree in entrepreneurship and filmmaking in order to raise awareness of the condition and put a spotlight on the challenges those with CF face daily.

Another recipient, Talmage, spent hours during his childhood in medical settings with his father, who was frequently hospitalized throughout Talmage’s youth. “Growing up watching my dad do hours of treatments, spend weeks in the hospital, and constantly being told he was a walking miracle really got old. How long would my father’s miracle last? These thoughts were on my mind constantly,” he says. With support from the Vertex Foundation, he’s pursuing a biology degree, with plans to enter medicine.

“I hope to help provide solutions to meet specific needs of those with CF, especially those that create greater quality of life,” he says. “I plan on sharing my family’s success stories – helping others see CF patients not just living normal lives and doing normal things but living extraordinary lives and doing the impossible. True success will be measured as the CF community becomes the community at large – individuals that are able to live normal lives and easily manage their disease.  I am excited to help with that in any way I can.”

Applications to the Vertex Foundation Scholarship Program are open to high school seniors, college and technical school undergrads and graduate students in the U.S. and Canada. Applicants must either be diagnosed with CF or be an immediate family member (sibling, child, spouse or caregiver) of someone diagnosed with CF. The scholarship awards can be used for part-time or full-time undergraduate or graduate study in any field at an accredited U.S. or Canadian college, university or technical school.

Applications are open until February 24. Apply now >

The Pittsburgh Foundation Scholarships: High School Seniors

This spring, The Pittsburgh Foundation is partnering with Scholarship America to award more than a million dollars in scholarships to a wide range of students in Pittsburgh, PA and beyond.

Some of the opportunities available include:

• The Pittsburgh Foundation Single Year Scholarships for high school seniors from selected high schools in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Maryland, and New Jersey. Over 100 scholarships are available! Review the eligibility here and here.

• The Pittsburgh Foundation Renewable Scholarships for high school seniors from eligible high schools in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Indiana. These twenty+ scholarships provide funding for up to four years for students who maintain a satisfactory GPA and full-time enrollment while pursuing a degree. Review the eligibility here.

Students applying for scholarships from The Pittsburgh Foundation can receive multiple awards and receive up to $10,000 in scholarships per application. Funding from The Pittsburgh Foundation has made a difference for students like Aeryn Lesesne, the 2019 valedictorian of Pittsburgh Online Academy. Support from The Pittsburgh Foundation helped her avoid student loans. “I know coming out of school, I can take jobs that, even if they don’t have the best pay, will let me make an impact, all because I don’t have to worry about making these large student loan payments,” she said.

If you’re a high school senior in an eligible area, don’t miss out on this opportunity—and watch for more information on opportunities for current and returning college students from The Pittsburgh Foundation in our next spotlight.

Applications are open through February 17. Visit the appropriate links above to apply!

Northwestern Mutual Childhood Cancer Survivor and Sibling Scholarships

Since 2017, Northwestern Mutual has provided scholarships to students and families impacted by childhood cancer with two unique programs. The Northwestern Mutual Childhood Cancer Survivor Scholarship program helps cancer survivors, age 25 and under, as they continue their education and pursue their college dreams, while the Northwestern Mutual Childhood Cancer Sibling Scholarship recognizes the family-wide impact of the disease. To date, Northwestern Mutual has supported more than 370 scholars on their college journeys—scholars like Kathleen Soller, a Northwestern Mutual Childhood Cancer Scholarship Program recipient now working as a registered nurse at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

“Studies show that 60% of families lose significant household income and are hit with financial hardship as a result of a childhood cancer diagnosis,” said Steve Radke, president of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation. “Each year, it’s an honor to provide some relief to these families and alleviate part of the financial burden tied to higher education, but the real joy is being able to see these students looking forward to their future and the brighter moments they have ahead of them.”

Each of these scholarship programs will award renewable $5,000 scholarships to as many as 25 eligible recipients for the 2026-27 school year. High school seniors, high school graduates and current college undergrads who plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study next year can apply. Applicants must be 25 years old or younger, have a minimum grade point average of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) and demonstrate financial need.

Northwestern Mutual Childhood Cancer Survivor Scholarship program applicants must be cancer survivors; Northwestern Mutual Childhood Cancer Sibling Scholarship applicants must be the sibling of an individual who is in current treatment or has survived or passed away from pediatric childhood cancer. Both of these programs require applicants to prepare a statement about how cancer has affected their lives and taught them courage and resilience.

Applications are open until February 2, 2026. 
Apply here for the Northwestern Mutual Childhood Cancer Survivor Scholarship >
Apply here for the Northwestern Mutual Childhood Cancer Sibling Scholarship >