East Texas Communities Foundation announces scholarships available for East Texas students

Published 5:35 am Tuesday, January 31, 2023

East Texas Communities Foundation is currently accepting applications from East Texas students for 88 scholarships to be awarded for the 2023-2024 academic year.

The deadline for submission of the online application is March 1. Detailed eligibility criteria and links to the applications are available on the ETCF website at www.etcf.org/scholarships/available-scholarships.

Seven new scholarships are available this year including:

Pasha Zapolsky Memorial Scholarship: This scholarship will assist students graduating from any of the 32 counties served by ETCF that have played competitive soccer during high school. They must maintain a 3.67 GPA and demonstrate devotion to their Christian faith. Amount: $1,000.

Reuland and Barnhart Orthodontics Scholarship: This scholarship will assist students graduating from Smith County and the surrounding counties of Anderson, Cherokee, Gregg, Henderson, Rains, Rusk, Upshur, Van Zandt, and Wood. They must be planning on attending a school in Texas while pursuing a bachelor’s or associate’s degree in the medical field. Amount: $1,000 (2 scholarships will be awarded).

For a complete list of scholarships, log on to https://etcf.org/scholarships/available-scholarships/ or call ETCF Program Officers, Dana Durman or Kathryn Martinez at 903.533.0208.

The East Texas Communities Foundation, which serves 32 counties in East Texas, administers a variety of scholarships that have been established by generous individuals to assist students with their educational pursuits. Each scholarship expresses a deep belief in the power of education to help young people achieve their dreams, according to the nonprofit’s website.

East Texas Communities Foundation scholarships are awarded competitively based on criteria set by the donors, according to ETCF. These criteria could include financial need, the school the applicants are attending, academic achievement, as well as personal or career goals. ETCF has a rigorous internal selection process for each scholarship decision and each applicant is reviewed in depth and considered thoroughly.

The foundation distributed $17.2 million in grants in 2021 and currently manages over $118 million in over 400 unique charitable funds which support nonprofit organizations and student scholarships. The foundation, which was formed in 1989, has awarded over $121 million in grants and scholarships since its inception.