High School Scholarship Program

The Columbus Citizens Foundation’s High School Scholarship Program was founded in 1994 at the directive of past Foundation President Michael Santangelo, Esq. Recipients receive four-year scholarships that help cover their high school tuition in preparation for admission to college. Our scholarships, while generous, provide assistance towards a school’s tuition but will not cover payment for all school costs.

If you are interested in applying for a scholarship, please take a moment to learn about our requirements and the grant process. 

Eligibility - Students who are of Italian descent with a GPA of 3.0  (85% or B) or higher who are from households where the total gross income does not exceed $20,000 per capita are eligible. Only 8th graders who will enter high school as a freshman in Fall 2012 are eligible to apply. Students who are already in high school are NOT eligible for scholarships.

Process - Families of students interested in receiving a high school scholarship must submit an application that contains detailed and confidential personal information.  It must be sent to TADS, an independent financial review company that will determine eligibility based on financial need.

The applications of families that qualify for financial aid are then sent to the Columbus Citizens Foundation.  A committee reviews and evaluates the applications and asks applicants and their families to visit the Foundation for a mandatory interview. 

Approximately a month after all interviews have been held, the committee decides which applicants will be awarded scholarships.  Notification is made by mail. 

All students who are selected as Columbus Citizens Foundation High School Scholarship Recipients are required to enroll in Italian Language course(s) if offered at chosen school. Additionally, all recipients are required to maintain an overall GPA of 85 or above. Please see application for details. 

How To Apply

Scholarship applications for the 2012-2013 academic year are no longer available as the February 14th deadline has passed. All late submissions will be discarded with no exceptions. The application for the 2013-2014 academic year will be available on this page on December 1, 2012. Thank you for your interest in our Scholarship Program.