Kalamazoo Community Foundation Emergency Scholarship 2025-2026

Since 2021, KZCF has supported today's students with funding to cover emergency needs as they arise at any time of year. The intent of the scholarship is to help students cover unexpected or unmet financial needs that may otherwise prevent them from completing their degree, trade, or other required education. These needs may take the form of overdue tuition balances, books required for class, testing fees for certification, or other educational barriers. 

We intend the Emergency Scholarship to be as responsive as possible. The Emergency Scholarship will open between the 1st through the 15th of every month unless stated otherwise. All submitted applications will go under review for 48 hours unless stated differently by email. Please make sure your application is as complete as possible before submitting it; if you are missing necessary information, the review of your application may be denied. Email communication will go out throughout the process. 

This scholarship has a lifetime limit of $5,000 and is intended for urgent and emergency needs. Applications will be reviewed based on demonstrated financial need or emergency, expected graduation date, and the potential impact of funding on the student’s ability to stay enrolled and complete their program. Please note that this is not a standard scholarship, and funds are distributed on a monthly budget. Once the budget is reached for the month, no further funding will be provided until the following month. It is essential to upload accurate and complete documentation by the time of submission for your application to be moved forward for review.  

Please review our website for information on the Emergency Scholarship before submitting your application. 

The Emergency Scholarship Application was designed to be fast and easy, with as few requirements as possible. Here’s what we’ll ask you, and what you’ll need to provide: 

We’ll ask you to tell us:  

A little bit about yourself and the emergency needs you have. 

We’ll ask you to provide:  

Some documentation for the need; if the need is a tuition balance, this might be a copy of the overdue bill uploaded to the application. If the need is something like books, we’ll need you to provide the names of the books needed for the class(es) you’re taking. You can provide this information right in the application. 

We’ll also need you to show that you’re enrolled- this is as easy as uploading a screengrab of your registration for the semester with your name and address visible. If you’re asking for help with a balance that needs to be paid before you can enroll (and, therefore, cannot show that you’re registered), you’re still eligible to apply- we’ll reach out to you if we need anything else! 

How long will it take to fill out this application? 

Not too long! You will not be asked to provide information that other scholarship applications often ask for, such as letters of recommendation, essays, or transcripts. We estimate that this application will take you roughly 10-15 minutes to complete. 

How long will it be before I know if I was awarded? 

That depends on when you submit the application. KZCF Scholarship staff will do our best to communicate with you as soon as we have information. Our ideal time is two weeks. 

How will the request be paid if I am awarded? 

This varies depending on the request, but funds are nearly always paid to the school, bookstore or other agency directly; funds are not paid to the applicant. 

I have a question! 

Great. Reach out to us at [email protected] and we’ll be happy to help! 

Please sign in with your email if you have already registered for a Kaleidoscope account. If you do not know your email address or cannot remember the email address you used, please reach out to [email protected] for assistance.