About the Scholars Program

The LSF Scholars Program offers academically competitive scholarships to Latino/Hispanic students enrolled in private or parochial schools in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Students must receive financial aid from their schools and/or Archdiocese in order to be eligible for the LSF Schoalrs Program.

The 2012-2013 application for NEW SCHOLARS is now available. The online portion of the application and ALL supporting documents must be received by the LSF by Thursday, April 26, 2012. Please scroll to the bottom of this page to download the supplemental application forms.

Please note: All RETURNING SCHOLARS should complete the REAPPLICATION FORM by April 19, 2012.

Scholars Program Overview

The LSF provides financial aid and education-related support through our Scholars Program. For the upcoming academic year, the LSF will support over 90 students in grades PreK-12, representing over $100,000 in supplemental financial support. The Scholars Program includes mentoring, workshops on higher education, and support for students and their families. The small stipends that we provide are supplemented by a series of workshops designed for family networking and to prepare students and their families for the future. Though our stipends are small, they are often the ‘make or break’ money for parents to be able to enroll their children in private or parochial school and frequently cover such additional expenses as books, activity fees, and uniforms.

Scholarship Amounts

Scholarships are merit-based and fixed depending on the grade level. The scholarship amounts are as follows:

Grades PreK-5: $500
Grades 6-8: $1,000
Grades 9-12: $1,500

Why the LSF Scholars Program is Important

Taking into account that only 16% of Hispanic high school graduates continue their education to earn a college degree, the LSF emphasizes college preparation and last year 100% of its graduating seniors enrolled in higher education. For every $1 the LSF gives in scholarships, students receive $10 in financial aid from other sources.

Who Is Eligible

Students in grades PreK-10 are eligible to apply for the program. In addition, students must meet the following requirements:

Be of Latino descent;
Demonstrate excellent academic achievement;
Be admitted to a local parochial or independent school for the upcoming academic year;
Receive financial aid from the school or Archdiocese.

Once students have been accepted to the Scholars Program, the Latino Student Fund will support them for the duration of their primary and secondary school education. As long as students remain academically and financially eligible, they will continue to receive the appropriate LSF scholarship and support services. Though a complete reapplication is not necessary, we do require that students submit a one-page reapplication form in the spring of each school year.