By Will Geiger

Will Geiger is the co-founder of Scholarships360 and has a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. He is a former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Kenyon College where he personally reviewed 10,000 admissions applications and essays. Will also managed the Kenyon College merit scholarship program and served on the financial aid appeals committee. He has also worked as an Associate Director of College Counseling at a high school in New Haven, Connecticut. Will earned his master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania and received his undergraduate degree in history from Wake Forest University. Full Bio

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Posted: February 1st, 2022

Are you active in your local town, city, or neighborhood? Do you love spending your spare time volunteering with local nonprofits? If so, you may want to apply for community service scholarships that reward students who contribute to their communities. Many private organizations and colleges aim to specifically support students who are going to make a difference in the world.

Jump ahead to:

• Top community service scholarships
• Tips for students who want to get involved with community service
• Summary of community service scholarships
• Upcoming scholarships

Community service scholarships reward students who are active citizens in their communities! Keep on reading to learn more about award amount, eligibility requirements, and deadlines!

Top community service scholarships

$1,000 Marcarelli Community Spirit Scholarship

• Eligibility: Maryland high school seniors who are involved in their school and/or community through athletics, volunteer work, or other activities
• Amount: $1,000 (two scholarships are awarded!)
• Deadline: March 30, 2022

DAV Jesse Brown Memorial Youth Scholarship

• Eligibility: Student volunteers ages 21 or younger who have volunteered for a minimum of 100 hours in service to veterans
• Amount: $75,000 per years as follows: $20,000; $15,000; $10,000; $7,500 (2); and $5,000 (3)
• Deadline: February 28, 2022

Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarships

• Eligibility: High school students who are vegetarians or vegans
• Amount: $10,000
• Deadline: February 20, 2o22

Scholars Helping Collars Scholarship

• Eligibility: Graduating high school seniors who volunteer for animal welfare
• Amount:   $1,500 
• Deadline:  February 28, 2022

Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes

• Eligibility: U.S. or Candian residents between 8 and 18 years of age who have worked on an “inspiring service project” within the past year
• Amount: $10,000
• Deadline: April 15, 2022 

Marcarelli Community Spirit Scholarship

• Eligibility: Maryland high school seniors who volunteer in their community 
• Amount: $1,000 (two scholarships are awarded!)
• Deadline: March 30, 2o22

Paradigm Challenge Scholarship

• Eligibility: Students ages 4 to 18 who want to “develop new ideas to improve personal help”
• Amount: Varies
• Deadline: May 1, 2o22

Horatio Alger Career & Technical Scholarships

• Eligibility: Students with demonstrated who are attending technical school
• Amount: $2,500
• Deadline: June 15, 2022

Cameron Impact Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors with a strong academic and volunteering record 
• Amount: $20,000 to $50,000 per year
• Deadline: Early: May 20, 2022 Final Deadline: September 9, 2022

Denny’s Hungry for Education Scholarships

• Eligibility: All high school and college students with at least a 2.5 GPA who share their ideas to fight childhood hunger
• Amount: $1,000 to 3,000
• Deadline: Varies 

Tips for students who want to get involved with community service

• When looking for community service opportunities try to start with your own interests! For instance, if you love history, check out your local historical society.
• Don’t be shy! Many volunteering opportunities will not be formally advertised so you may need to send out some cold emails to organizations you are interested in working with.
• If you can’t find an opportunity, create one! If you have a little bit of an entrepreneurial spirit you can start something to make a positive social impact in your community

Community service in the COVID-19 world

Since Covid-19, we know that students may not have the same in-person opportunities for community service. Savvy students will adapt community service to the virtual world. Think virtual tutoring, remote internships with nonprofits, and digital activism.

Summary of community service scholarships

1. $1,000 Marcarelli Community Spirit Scholarship
2. DAV Jesse Brown Memorial Youth Scholarship
3. Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarships
4. Scholars Helping Collars Scholarship
5. Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes
6. Marcarelli Community Spirit Scholarship
7. Paradigm Challenge Scholarship
8. Horatio Alger Career & Technical Scholarships
9. Cameron Impact Scholarship
10. Denny’s Hungry for Education Scholarships

Upcoming community service scholarships

 Brower Youth Awards

• Eligibility: Students ages 13 to 22 who are environmental change leaders. Open to students living in North America (including Mexico, Canada, and some Caribbean Islands) and U.S. territories
• Amount: $3,000 cash prize, a short film about their work created by an Emmy Award-winning film crew, and a 100% paid for weeklong trip to the San Francisco Bay Area (including airfare and lodging)
• Opens: Early 2022

Burger King Scholars

• Eligibility: Students who are applying as a full-time freshman to a four-year accredited, college in the US
• Amount: Varies

Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors with demonstrated financial need
• Amount: $40,000

Prudential Emerging Visionaries

• Eligibility: Student volunteers in grades 5-12 as of November 5 who are legal residents of the US
• Amount: $1,000 to $11,000

Stephen J. Brady Stop Hunger Scholarships

• Eligibility: Applicants ages 5-25 who demonstrate an on-going commitment to their community by performing unpaid volunteer services impacting US hunger within the last 12 months
• Amount: $1,000 to $5,000 (and an additional $5,000 for charity of winners’ choice)
• Opens: October 5, 2022

Union Plus Scholarship

• Eligibility: Undergraduate and graduate students who are current or retired members of participating unions as well as their spouses and their dependent children.
• Amount: $4,000
• Opens: mid-June, 2022

Women’s Army Corps Veterans’ Association Scholarship

• Eligibility: Female high school seniors who are the child, grandchild, niece or nephew of an Army Service Woman.
• Amount: $1,500