Blackhawk Scholarship Fund - 2026 Application

The Blackhawk Scholarship Fund (BSF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, all-volunteer organization established in 2003 that provides college scholarships to female high school seniors and community college students transferring to four-year universities. We believe in the power of education to transform lives, and are committed to helping college-bound women with financial need achieve their dreams. Scholarships are awarded annually based on academic excellence, demonstrated financial need, and community involvement.

Please review all of the information below and ensure that you meet all of the eligibility requirements before applying.

Application Period

• Opens - January 6, 2026

• Closes - The online application will be closed at 1:00 PM PST on Sunday, March 8, 2026. All completed application packages must be received by the close date.

Notification - After all applications have been reviewed, the Scholarship Review Board will contact selected semi-finalists to schedule personal interviews as part of the final selection process. All applicants will be notified of their selection status by April 1st. An Awards Ceremony will be held in early May.

Incomplete Scholarship Applications - It is the scholarship applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all of the items in the Scholarship Application have been completed and received by BSF by the due date including requested information, letters, school transcripts, recommendation letters and other forms. Incomplete applications shall be given no recognition and no response.

Additional Details

• To receive scholarship funds, scholarship awardees must be enrolled in the fall semester as a full-time student with at least 12 units in a 4-year College/University that is accredited by a federally approved accrediting agency.

• Scholarship funds are payable directly to the scholarship awardee's 4-year College/University and are only to be used for school expenses including tuition, room & board, and books.

• If the scholarship awardee does not attend a 4-year College/University, the scholarship funds will be held for the scholarship awardee for 2 years from the date the scholarship was awarded. After that time, the scholarship awardee forfeits their right to the scholarship funds.

• BSF scholarships are awarded annually and students are granted only one BSF scholarship in their lifetime. If awarded a BSF scholarship as a graduating high school senior, the scholarship awardee may not apply again as a graduating student from a community college.
  

Questions or Technical Help - FAQ's regarding the Blackhawk Scholarship can be found at blackhawkscholarshipfund.org/apply. If you need technical assistance with the Kaleidoscope online application process, please reach out to Kaleidoscope's Support Team at [email protected]. The Kaleidoscope support team is available Monday through Friday between 8 AM-5 PM CST. Any non technical Kaleidoscope questions regarding the application process can be sent to [email protected].

Applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Female, residing in Contra Costa County, California

• A minimum 3.5 cumulative unweighted GPA

• Be active in community service

• Be in need of financial aid - Your Student Aid Index (SAI) from your FASFA Submission Summary (FSS) must be no more than $40,000

• A graduating High School Senior or Community College student who will be attending a 4-year College/University in the Fall 

To help you prepare for your application, the following information is needed to complete your application online.  It often takes longer than people anticipate to gather all of the required information. Thus, we suggest that you review the information below before starting your application. It will be easier for you to complete the application if you have all the PDF documents ready to upload prior to completing the application.

Any file uploads should be saved as PDFs. Please make sure your name is at the top of the document and name the file as follows: your last name, your first name -  Name of Requested File Upload (ie Doe, Jane - Family Financial Situation Letter)

1. Family Financial Situation Letter - Please describe your family's financial situation and why you need financial help to attend college. Consider including any details or financial challenges or constraints that may affect your ability to pursue higher education.

2. Financial Need Documentation - We use the Eligibility Overview, specifically the Student Aid Index (SAI), from the FASFA Submission Summary (FSS) as documentation of financial need.  If you have:
   
   2A. Received your FSS, please upload a PDF of your Eligibility Overview from the FSS. Include the page(s) that shows ONLY your 1) Name, 2) Estimated Federal Student Aid, and 3) Student Aid Index (SAI).  Please ensure that NO OTHER personal information (ie Social Security, Birthdate, Driver's License etc) OTHER THAN your name, estimated federal student aid and SAI are shown on the page(s) you upload. Please also ENSURE YOUR NAME is listed on the same page as your estimated federal student aid and SAI.
   
   2B. Submitted your FASFA form but not received your FSS, please upload a PDF of your FASFA confirmation email confirming your submission and showing ONLY your 1) Name and 2) Estimated Student Aid Index (SAI).  Please ensure that NO OTHER personal information (ie Social Security, Birthdate, Driver's License etc) OTHER THAN your name and SAI are shown on the page(s) you upload. Please also ENSURE YOUR NAME is listed on the same page as your estimated federal student aid and SAI. Once you receive your FSS, you should send your Eligibility Overview from the FSS to [email protected].
   
   2C. Not submitted your FASFA form, you must complete a FASFA Form in order to apply for a BSF scholarship.  You must complete your FASFA form before submitting this application.

3. Counselor/Advisor Verification and Transcript Form - Please add your Counselor/Advisor's name and email as a "Contributor" when completing the Counselor/Advisor Verification and Transcript Form as they will be sent an email and required to 1) verify that you are a full time student in good standing at school, on track to graduate and prepared to enroll in a four-year College/University in the upcoming Fall term AND 2) upload a copy of your transcripts. This form is different from a Recommendation Letter.

4. Cost of Attendance - A screenshot or print out of the Cost of Attendance (COA) from the College/University's website. You can find COA details on your school’s financial aid website (try searching “Cost of Attendance” + the school’s name). It should list tuition, fees, books and supplies, housing and meals, transportation, and medical insurance.

5. College Financing Plan - If received, a PDF copy of the College Financing Plan or Financial Aid Summary from the College/University. 

6. Personal Interest Letter - In a 1-2 page letter, let us know why pursuing higher education is important to you and how this scholarship will help remove barriers or create opportunities for you? How do you hope to use your education to make a positive impact on your family, community, or others? Please also let us know if you have any responsibilities outside of school that take up a significant amount of your time.

7. Recommendation Letter - Counselor/Advisor or Teacher - Please add your Counselor/Advisor or Teacher's name and email as a "Contributor" when completing the School Counselor/Advisor or Teacher Recommendation Letter Form as they will be sent an email requiring them to upload a copy of their recommendation letter. This form is different from a Counselor/Advisor Verification and Transcript Form above.

8. Recommendation Letter - Community Service/Work - Please add the name and email of someone in the community who knows you through community service or work as a "Contributor" when completing the Community Service/Work Recommendation Letter Form as they will be sent an email requiring them to upload a copy of their recommendation letter.

9. Awards/Extra Curricular Activities - A list of your awards, honors, community service, school, clubs, organizations, athletic and/or other activities including the Award/Activity name, description, approximate time period and hours per week.

10. Work Experience - A list of your paid jobs or work experience including jobs or work name, description, approximate time period and hours per week.

11. Essay - We receive many applications each year from highly qualified candidates. Please share something about yourself that will help us better understand who you are and what makes you unique. Please upload a PDF of a 1-2 page essay, telling us about yourself in a way that wouldn’t appear on a transcript or résumé. What should we know about you as a person? What experiences, perspectives, or circumstances have shaped your background or path? How did it influence your values, decisions, or goals? Is there anything else that you would like us to know?  If so, please add it to the end of your essay.

12. APPLICATION DEADLINE DATE: 1:00 PM PST ON SUNDAY, MARCH 8, 2026
    It is the applicant's responsibility to request and ensure that all requested information from Counselors/School Advisors and Recommenders are sent directly via the Counselor/Student Advisor Verification and Transcript Form and/or the Recommendation Letter Form by the application deadline date of 1:00 PM PST on Sunday, March 8, 2026.  

13. Questions or Technical Help - FAQ's regarding the Blackhawk Scholarship can be found at blackhawkscholarshipfund.org/apply. If you need technical assistance with the Kaleidoscope online application process, please reach out to Kaleidoscope's Support Team at [email protected]. The Kaleidoscope support team is available Monday through Friday between 8 AM-5 PM CST. Any non technical Kaleidoscope questions regarding the application process can be sent to [email protected].