How to start a scholarship

Eight steps from idea to award, then a free application template, review rubric, and timeline built for your scholarship. Print it or email it to yourself.

How to start a scholarship in 8 steps

Decide what it is for
Name the purpose in one sentence: who you want to help and why. "A $1,000 award for a Lincoln High senior who has served the community" is easier to run and to promote than "a scholarship for good students."
Set the award
Choose the amount, how many awards, and whether it is one-time or renewable. Renewable awards need a rule for renewing, such as staying enrolled full time.
Choose how to fund and hold it
You can fund it yourself, raise it from donors, or open a named fund at a community foundation or a school's scholarship office. Giving through a foundation or school is the simplest way to make gifts tax-deductible, and a private foundation that awards scholarships directly needs IRS approval of its selection process. Talk to a tax professional before you start.
Write the eligibility rules
Be specific: school, grade or year, location, field of study, GPA, or need. Every rule should be something you can check from the application.
Build the application
Ask only what you will use to decide. Most scholarships need contact details, school information, an essay, a recommendation, and a certification. The template below starts you there.
Set the timeline
Six to eight weeks of open applications, two to three weeks to review, and decisions about a month after the deadline work for most programs.
Pick reviewers and a rubric
Three to five reviewers scoring on the same rubric keeps decisions fair and defensible. Give each application two reviewers and ask anyone who knows an applicant to skip them.
Announce, notify, and pay
Promote through school counselors and community groups. Notify recipients first, then everyone else, and pay the award to the school in the student's name so it goes toward their education.

Build your scholarship kit

Your application form, review rubric, and timeline update for the scholarship you describe.

Your plan

Community Scholarship

Academic merit · High school seniors · 2 awards of $1,000 ($2,000 total) · Deadline Tue, Dec 15, 2026

Email it to me

Application form template

About you

Full name *Short answer
Email *Email
PhonePhone
Mailing address *Long answer
Date of birth *Used to collect parent or guardian consent for students under 18.Date

Education

High school *Short answer
Expected graduation year *Dropdown
Colleges you plan to attend or have been admitted to *Short answer
Cumulative GPA *Number
Transcript *Unofficial transcripts are fine for the first round.File upload

Activities

Activities, jobs, and achievementsLong answer

Essay

Describe an academic accomplishment you are proud of and what it taught you. (500 words) *Long answer

Recommendation

Recommender name and email *A teacher, counselor, employer, or mentor who knows you well.Short answer
Letter of recommendationFile upload

Consent

Parent or guardian consent (students under 18) *Sent to the guardian by email; no account needed.Guardian e-signature
I certify that the information in this application is true and complete *E-signature

Review rubric

Each reviewer scores every application they are assigned. Average the totals across reviewers and rank.

Criterion	What judges look for	Points
Academic record	Grades and course rigor relative to the student's opportunities.	10
Essay	Clear thinking, reflection, and strong writing.	10
Recommendation	Specific evidence of effort and character from someone who knows the student.	5
Activities and achievements	Depth of commitment rather than a long list.	5
Total		30

Timeline

Tue, Oct 6, 202610 weeks before
Finalize the details
Lock eligibility, the award, the questions, and the rubric. Recruit three to five reviewers.
Tue, Oct 20, 20268 weeks before
Open applications
Publish the application and share it with counselors, schools, and community groups.
Application form
Tue, Dec 1, 20262 weeks before
Remind applicants
Remind everyone with an unfinished application, and recommenders who have not submitted.
Broadcast
Tue, Dec 15, 2026Application deadline
Deadline
Close applications and screen out incomplete or ineligible ones.
Tue, Dec 29, 20262 weeks after
Review and score
Each reviewer scores their assigned applications on the rubric. Two reviewers per application evens out differences.
Judging form
Fri, Jan 8, 20273 weeks after
Choose recipients
Review the ranked results together and decide. Keep a short waitlist.
Results
Tue, Jan 12, 20274 weeks after
Notify everyone
Tell recipients first and ask them to accept, then notify everyone else kindly.
Stages
Tue, Jan 26, 20276 weeks after
Pay and celebrate
Send the award, usually to the school's financial aid office in the student's name, and share the news with donors.

Email me this kit

Get a link back to this kit so you can share it with your team or pick up where you left off. We will not share your email.

Questions about starting a scholarship

How do I start a scholarship?

Decide who it is for and the award amount, choose how to fund and hold the money, write eligibility rules, build an application, pick reviewers and a rubric, then announce it, review applications, and notify recipients. The eight steps on this page walk through each one.

How much money do you need to start a scholarship?

As much as you want to award. A single $500 award is a real scholarship. If you open a named fund at a community foundation, ask about its minimum to open a fund and whether the fund is spent down or endowed.

Is a scholarship tax-deductible?

Gifts to a scholarship fund held by a qualifying charity, such as a community foundation or a school, are generally tax-deductible for the donor. Money you give a student directly is not. Rules depend on how the scholarship is set up, so confirm with a tax professional.

What should a scholarship application include?

Contact details, school and education information, an essay, a recommendation, any documents your rules depend on (such as a transcript), and a signed certification that the information is true. Students under 18 may also need a parent or guardian's consent.

How do you choose a scholarship winner?

Score every eligible application on the same rubric, with two or more reviewers each. Rank by average score, review the top applications together, and decide. Interviews can help separate close finalists.

Is this kit free?

Yes. Use the template, rubric, and timeline as often as you like, print them, or email them to yourself. Applicantly can run the application and review online, with a 14-day free trial.

How to start a scholarship