Overview of Grant Program
The Finish Line Scholars Program supports students to ensure they stay on track with their education and complete a degree, certificate, or transfer to a four year college or university.
The program launched in October 2020 and provided the first grants to colleges in January 2021. Colleges will be invited to submit an annual grant application to the Foundation for their students in the form of scholarships or emergency financial aid.
Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students, in academic year 2020-21 (Program Year 1), colleges used 100% of their grant funds for emergency financial aid. Beginning in academic year 2021-22, colleges will use funds to provide both scholarships and emergency financial aid with no more than 20% of funding allocated to emergency financial aid.
Scholarships of up to $18,500 per year can cover the estimated full cost of a student’s community college education, including such expenses as textbooks, instructional materials, transportation, housing, childcare, and food. Emergency financial aid will be flexible to help students overcome short-term financial barriers.
Join the Finish Line Scholars Community
Join the Finish Line Scholars Program community on the Vision Resource Center to access materials such as the Program Guidelines for Colleges, which describe additional requirements and recommendations for colleges on designing and managing a Finish Line Scholars Program. Frequently Asked Questions are also addressed in the community. If you have a question not answered in the FAQ or the Program Guidelines for Colleges, use the Vision Resource Center to post your question.
Instructions for accessing the CCC | Finish Line Scholars Community:
- Log in to the Vision Resource Center.
- Under “Connect” in the main navigation, select “All Communities”.
- In the “All Communities” page, look for the title “CCC | Finish Line Scholars”. Note that you may need to click to “Page 2” of the communities list to find this title. Select it, and on the next screen select the blue "Join Community" button.
Program resources will be updated as necessary to reflect changes in the program. Check the Vision Resource Center for updated information.
Applying for funds
Eligible colleges receive an email each year with an invitation to apply and all of the necessary information to submit an application. The Vision Resource Center also contains the application instructions, an application template, and the updated Program Guidelines. Colleges will receive funds by July 31 of each year.
Reporting
A report is due to FoundationCCC annually by August 1 for the most recent academic year. More information is provided in the Program Guidelines for Colleges. Report templates and instructions are provided directly to colleges.