Scholarships Frequently Asked Questions

1. How can I apply for a scholarship at the California Community Foundation?
2. How do I receive my scholarship award?
3. How do I renew my scholarship?
4. When submitting my scholarship acceptance form, can I send unofficial transcripts?
5. What if I do not meet the requirements to renew my award?
6. I’m concerned that the school’s financial aid department will take away funds from my financial aid package because of my scholarship.
7. How quickly will my scholarship award be processed and sent to my school financial aid office?
8. I missed the deadline to return the scholarships acceptance/renewal form. Can I still receive my award?
9. What if my scholarship is awarded after school has started?
10. Who do I contact if the financial aid office or bookstore cannot find my scholarship award check?
11. I decided not to attend University A and instead will be enrolling at University B. Can I get my scholarship back from University A so I can use it at University B?
12. Will I have to pay taxes on this scholarship award?
13. What does full-time status mean?
14. What if I do not know what my Student Identification Number is yet?
15. What if I do not know what my dorm/school address is yet?
16. I was awarded a scholarship from the California Community Foundation (“CCF”) but have not heard from anyone. What do I do?
17. My tuition is due and the school still has not received my scholarship award. I am afraid that I may be dropped from my classes. What can I do?
18. What if I can’t login to ScholarConnect?
19. Why don’t I get a confirmation page after submitting?
20. I don’t know all of the information being asked in the online Acceptance Form, can I still submit it?

Scholarships Frequently Asked Questions

1. How can I apply for a scholarship at the California Community Foundation?

The foundation administers more than 150 scholarship funds dedicated to students pursuing higher education. However, we do not directly coordinate the application and selection process. External committees not affiliated with CCF administer the process. Scholarship donor funds are housed at the foundation and scholarship payments are disbursed to scholars selected by external committees not affiliated with CCF. Students can only apply for our scholarships through high school guidance counselor offices, colleges or universities. Consult with your school and local public library to identify scholarships you may be eligible for.

Following are online resources that will facilitate your search:

FinAid
College Board
FastWeb.com
Collegenet.com
Scholarships.com
Sallie Mae Fund

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2. How do I receive my scholarship award?

CCF sends all scholarship funds directly to your college or university. We do not make checks payable or co-payable to individuals.

Whether this is your first award or you are renewing your scholarship, you will receive an “Award Notification Letter” via e-mail beginning in June.  This letter will provide you with the information you need to fill out the online acceptance form on the ScholarConnect web portal.  You will need to complete the new user registration and then complete and submit the online acceptance form.  After you submit the form, you will receive a confirmation e-mail.  CCF will process and confirm your online acceptance form; in late summer, we will send a scholarship check to your school on your behalf.

The foundation will not process your award until you complete the online acceptance form. To ensure your scholarship award is sent to your school before the beginning of the fall semester, complete all requested materials to CCF no later than 14 calendar days after receiving your award notification letter.

The award is intended to cover the entire academic year, unless otherwise specified.  Every college financial aid office has a different distribution policy for scholarships so please contact your school to learn about your disbursement.  

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3. How do I renew my scholarship?

Not all scholarships administered by CCF are renewable. However, if you received a scholarship award that is renewable for one or more years, as indicated by your notification letter, you will receive a “Notification Award Letter” via e-mail beginning in June about how to renew your scholarship.

This letter will provide you with the information you need to fill out the online acceptance form on the ScholarConnect web portal. Renewing students can log on using your previously established login and password. You must complete and submit the online acceptance form with the appropriate attachments. Your transcripts will verify that you maintained your enrollment and met all requirements relevant to your scholarship. Transcripts (official or unofficial accepted) must include student’s cumulative G.P.A., student’s name and/or student ID number. If only the student’s ID number is printed, you must also submit a copy of your current student ID card, which clearly states your name and ID number. Acceptance forms submitted without all requested materials will not be processed.

After you submit the form, you will receive a confirmation e-mail.  CCF will process and confirm your online acceptance form and verify your scholarship renewal. CCF will then send your award to your school on your behalf in late summer. The foundation will not process your renewal award until you complete the online acceptance form. To ensure your scholarship award is sent to your school before the beginning of the fall semester, complete all requested materials to CCF no later than 14 calendar days after receiving your award notification letter.

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4. When submitting my Scholarship Acceptance Form, can I send unofficial transcripts?

Yes, unofficial college transcripts are acceptable. Transcripts need to include the student’s name and/or Student Identification Number. If only the Student’s Identification Number is printed, you must submit a copy of your current student identification card that clearly states your name and identification number.

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5. What if I do not meet the requirements to renew my award?

Complete the Acceptance Form and submit requested materials by going to the ScholarConnect web portal.  Additionally, e-mail CCF at scholarships@ccf-la.org a one-page letter explaining why you were unable to meet the requirements. Staff will contact you with further details.

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6. I’m concerned that the school’s financial aid department will take away funds from my financial aid package because of my scholarship.

We communicate with your college or university specifically about this issue, and instruct the financial aid office to apply your scholarship funds to the “self-help” portion of your financial aid package, rather than reduce the aid already granted. The following is an excerpt from the instructions we give schools:

“Grant aid previously offered to the student should not be reduced unless federal or state law requires the reduction. The timing of the scholarship’s application to the student’s account may be flexible to best accommodate the student’s financial needs. If the student’s account is paid in full, the scholarship may be refunded to the student for other cost of attendance expenses.”

Please contact us if you encounter problems when working with your financial aid office, and we will be happy to assist you as needed.

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7. How quickly will my scholarship award be processed and sent to my school financial aid office or bookstore?

Scholarship awards are generally distributed July 1 - Aug. 31. Once you have completed and submitted the scholarship acceptance form and the requested materials, awards take at least three weeks to process. All awards are processed in a timely manner and in the order received. Please keep this in mind if you submit your form late.

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8. I was not able to return the acceptance/renewal form by the deadline. Can I still receive my award?

Yes; however, please note that any delay will postpone your scholarship payment. Scholarship awards are generally distributed July 1 - Aug. 31. CCF strives to distribute all awards prior to start of the fall term but cannot guarantee timely payment with late acceptance forms.

Please complete the form by going to the ScholarConnect web portal. Please note that it takes time for the foundation and your school’s financial aid office to process all requests and checks received in the mail, especially during the summer months and at the beginning of the fall semester. It may take at least a month before scholarship awards are applied to student accounts.

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9. What if my scholarship is awarded after school has started?

Most scholars are notified in late spring/early summer if they are selected for an award, before the start of the fall semester. If you are selected for a scholarship at a different time of the year, submit your scholarship acceptance/renewal form as soon as possible by going to the ScholarConnect web portal so we can process your scholarship award and send it to your school. It takes approximately three weeks to process an award once we have received your completed form. Regardless of the month you are selected, all scholarship payments will be made directly to your school’s financial aid office.

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10. Who do I contact if the financial aid office or bookstore cannot find my scholarship award check?

It takes time for your school’s financial aid office to process all scholarship checks, especially at the beginning of a term (fall, summer, spring). If your award has not posted to your student account within two or three weeks of the start of the term, contact your financial aid office to inquire about the award. They may have received it but not processed it yet. If your award has not been processed after a month, contact Kerry Franco, scholarship manager, at (213) 413-4130, ext. 225.

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11. I decided not to attend University A and instead will be enrolling at University B. Can I get my scholarship back from University A so that I can use it at University B?

We cannot re-issue the scholarship to your new school until the funds from the old school are returned. Contact University A’s financial aid office and request that they refund the money in full to CCF as soon as possible. The university usually does this automatically but receiving a call from you may expedite the process. Processing refunds at schools could take weeks, so the foundation urges you to stay current on the refund process. We also encourage you to inform us of any educational changes so we may stay current, which will prevent the need to request refunds.

Once the refund is processed, go to the ScholarConnect web portal and complete a new acceptance form. You must complete the form again and provide the foundation with updated information. The foundation will not be able to make this disbursement without the updated information from you.

Please contact Kerry Franco, scholarship manager, at (213) 413-4130, ext. 225, with any questions about the refund policy.

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12. Will I have to pay taxes on this scholarship award?

If your scholarship is used for tuition, fees, books, supplies and/or equipment required for enrollment or class attendance, the award is not taxable. However, if you use your scholarship for educational expenses that are not considered tax-exempt, we suggest that you obtain professional tax advice. A good resource on this topic can be found at www.irs.gov/faqs. CCF does not provide tax advice.

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13. What does full-time status mean?

Full-time status means that you are enrolled in a course load that is greater than that of a part-time student. Each school will have a different unit minimum, and full-time status typically involves at least three to four courses. For example, full-time status at a community college is equivalent to a course load of 12 units. It is your responsibility to check with your college or university to ensure that you are meeting the minimum requirement(s) applicable to your award.

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14. What if I do not know what my Student Identification Number is yet?

Colleges and universities need the Student Identification Number to process scholarship awards when there is more than one student with the same name. If you do not know your Student Identification Number yet, contact your school. If you are still unable to obtain your Student Identification Number, list the last four digits of your Social Security Number in your form.

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15. What if I do not know what my dorm/school address is yet?

Leave this section blank or write “not yet known,” and contact CCF once you do know your school address. We need this information so we can contact you during the school year. It is your responsibility to ensure that CCF has your current contact information on file.   Contact CCF scholarship staff anytime throughout the year to update your contact information.

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16. I was awarded a scholarship from the California Community Foundation (“CCF”) but have not heard from anyone. What do I do?

If you have not been contacted by July 1 please send an e-mail to scholarships@ccf-la.org with “Scholarship Help” in the title. In your e-mail please provide your full name, mailing address, high school of attendance, the name of the scholarship you were awarded and the amount of your scholarship award. CCF staff will contact you promptly.

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17. My tuition is due and the school still has not received my scholarship award. I am afraid that I may be dropped from my classes. What can I do?

Awards take at least three weeks to process.  All awards are processed in a timely manner and in the order in which they are received. This is why it is important to submit your form on time so that you do not risk being dropped from your classes because your tuition has not been paid. If you do risk being dropped from your classes, please contact Kerry Franco, scholarship manager, at (213) 413-4130, ext. 225, so that we can address the issue.

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18. What if I can’t log in to ScholarConnect?

First-time users will need to fill out the new user registration by clicking the link directly below the login fields.  If you have forgotten your password click on the forgotten password link below the login fields and follow the instructions. If you are still having problems please call us at (213) 413-4130, ext. 407, or e-mail scholarships@ccf-la.org.

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19. Why don’t I get a confirmation page after submitting?

If you cannot submit the acceptance form, it is likely you have left some required fields blank.  After you click submit, you will see page five again (the submit page).  Scroll up and there will be an error message that says:

“Application cannot be submitted at this time because of the following errors:“

There you will see a listing of the required fields that are missing.  Complete these fields and try to submit again. 

After successfully submitting the acceptance form, you will see a submission page thanking you and informing you of the next steps.  Your submission confirmation will also be e-mailed to the address you provided. 

If you are still having problems please call us at (213) 413-4130, ext. 407, or e-mail at scholarships@ccf-la.org.

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20. I don’t know all of the information being asked in the online acceptance form, can I still submit it?

Before starting a new acceptance form you will need to be prepared with the following:

• Your scholarship award notification letter or e-mail from CCF
• The start date for your college or university in the coming term
• A thank-you note of 500 characters or less describing the expected impact of your scholarship award on your academic career and future plans
• Renewing students only: an electronic copy of your cumulative college academic transcripts (unofficial copies are acceptable)

With the exception of Page 4 “Demographic Info,” all fields are required, and you will not be able to submit the acceptance form without filling them in. You can save the acceptance form and return to complete and submit the form at a later time.

For additional questions not addressed here, please contact us at:
(213) 413-4130, ext. 407, or e-mail at scholarships@ccf-la.org.

June to September is an extremely busy scholarship time at the foundation.
We will respond to every inquiry within 24 hours of your question.

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