How to Apply
Students are invited to apply for scholarships through the Online Scholarship Portal.
First, students complete and submit the General Scholarship Application. This one application will automatically match students to scholarship opportunities for which they qualify. Each opportunity requires different information (reference letters, an essay, series of questions, etc.). Students must allow time to collect this information and must not wait until the last minute to apply. Nothing may be submitted the day after the application deadline.
1. Gather required materials
a. Students competing for need-based awards must complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). www.fafsa.gov (Not all awards are need-based so the FAFSA is not required for all applications.) FAFSA Electronic Student Aid Report (Must be in PDF format.)
b. School transcript – high school and/or college (Must be in PDF format.) If your transcript is provided in a sealed envelope, please remove it from the envelope, scan it and upload it as part of your online application.
c. Résumé of school activities, volunteer experiences.
d. References – Names and email addresses of those who will write letters of recommendation for you. You may NOT use a relative. Check the specific scholarship to see if references are required from certain categories of people. This contact information must be uploaded for each reference person no later than the application deadline.
e. Email Account - Don't forget to check your email often once you apply. Important messages are sent that may be time sensitive.
2. Set up your Student Account
a. Visit to begin applying - Scholarship Online Portal Community Scholarship cycle will open in early February.
b. There are videos on the registration page regarding registration, applying and the dashboard.
d. After completing the required fields, click NEXT and create a password of your choice. Your password must be at least six characters and may contain capital or lowercase letters, numbers or any of the following special characters: !@#$%&*()_. Once finished, click Create Account to finish your registration.
e. An automatic email will be sent to your email address to confirm your account was created successfully. If you do not see an email from Cumberland Community Foundation (admin@grantinterface.com), be sure to look in your junk or spam folder. This email address is how we will primarily communicate with you regarding the status of your scholarship applications.
f. Click Apply Now
3. Applying for Scholarships
a. Complete the application. This one application will automatically match you to scholarship opportunities for which you qualify. All scholarship opportunities require additional information (essay, series of questions, etc.).
b. Our Online Scholarship Portal will autosave your work after every 100 characters you type or when you begin a new question. You can save your scholarship application at any time by clicking Save Application at the bottom of the application. Our Online Scholarship Portal will automatically log you out after 90 minutes of inactivity.
c. When filling out the scholarship application, keep in mind:
i. Questions – all questions marked with asterisk (*) must be completed.
ii. Character Limits – pay close attention to character limits. You will need to shorten your response to fit within the character limit before you can successfully submit your application.
iii. Uploading Documents – File upload questions will only accept one document per question and a file size limit will be noted. If you upload a file that is too large or an unaccepted file type, a warning message will appear and your file will not be saved. You cannot upload a picture of your transcript or your FAFSA.
iv. Letters of Recommendation – Most scholarship opportunities require 2 letters of recommendation, while some will require an additional letter. DO NOT USE RELATIVES.
1. Enter the email address of the individual from whom you are requesting a letter of recommendation and click Compose Email. We strongly suggest you confirm that the individual has agreed to write your letter.
2. Compose a brief email to the individual asking them to write a letter of recommendation on your behalf. Be sure to include your full name in the email.
3. Click Send.
4. The person you are requesting a recommendation from will receive your email and an automatic email from Cumberland Community Foundation.
5. Check with your references to be sure they received the emails. This is very important because emails can be blocked by spam filters. Your application is incomplete without the reference letters.
6. You may submit your application(s) before the letters of recommendation have been uploaded, however in order for your application(s) to be complete, your letters of recommendation must be received by the application(s) deadline.
7. The date and time the letter of recommendation is uploaded to your application will appear on your application below the Compose Email question. You may also check to see if recommendations have been uploaded to your application by going to your Applicant Dashboard.
d. Once completed, submit your application by clicking Submit Application. If you have not completed all required questions, the Online Scholarship Portal will let you know which questions you missed. All required questions must be completed to submit the application. After submitting an application, you can view it, but you are unable to go back and make any changes.
e. After submitting your application, you’ll be redirected to a Confirmation Page, which lists the scholarship opportunities you are eligible to apply for that require supplemental questions (essay, series of questions, etc.). You have the option to complete the questions or decline each opportunity.
f. Click Continue to view the first scholarship opportunity that requires supplemental questions. If a supplemental question is used on more than one scholarship that you’re applying for, your response will carry across the applications. If you update your response on one application, it will automatically update on the other applications using that question.
g. If you want to apply for the scholarship opportunity, complete the required questions and click Submit Application. If you do not want to apply for the scholarship, click Decline Opportunity. You can always click Save Application and return later to complete the questions.
You will not be able to change responses or upload additional information after the scholarship deadline has passed.
