To apply for scholarships, please contact the specified organization or guidance office. Some scholarships are managed by the Maine Community Foundation. Applications for these scholarships are available below.
Churchill Family Scholarship
The Churchill Family Scholarship Fund was established by members of the Musica de Filia Girl Choir in honor of Luther and Priscilla Churchill, with whom they generously shared their musical talents and friendship. This fund supports a graduating high school senior in Maine pursuing a college degree in vocal music education or performance.
Contact: Musica de Filia
Application Deadline: The application deadline for this scholarship has passed. Please check back in 2014 for your next opportunity to apply.
R.V. "Gadabout" Gaddis Charitable Fund
Established in 1995 in memory of “Gadabout” Gaddis, a writer from Maine, this fund supports fellowships at the Institutes for Journalism and Natural Resources with a preference for participants from Maine and Florida.
Contact: Institutes for Journalism & Natural Resources, Missoula, MT
Guy P. Gannett Scholarship
The Guy P. Gannett Scholarship Fund was established in 2000 by the Guy P. Gannett Foundation to provide renewable support for students majoring in journalism or a field reasonably related, including all forms of print, broadcast or electronic media. The committee will consider requests for the fields of photography and creative nonfiction if the applicant shows a strong interest in journalism. Recipients must be graduates of Maine high schools or homeschooled in a Maine community during their last year of secondary education. Students will be chosen based on demonstrated interest in journalism, financial need and academic achievement. The Guy P. Gannett Scholarship recognizes students who will become journalists. Their dedication to this profession is evident in their choice of coursework and extracurricular activities. Recipients are encouraged to apply for renewal consideration throughout their post-secondary and graduate education. As recipients progress through school, the selection committee expects to see a significant increase in demonstrated intent to pursue a career in journalism.
Contact: High school guidance offices or Maine Community Foundation
Application Deadline: The application deadline for this scholarship has passed. Please check back in 2014 for your next opportunity to apply.
Guy P. Gannett Scholarship renewal information
Ronald P. Guerrette FFA Scholarship
The Ronald P. Guerrette FFA Scholarship Fund was created in the spring of 1998 by friends and family to honor the life and work of Ronald P. Guerrette of Caribou. The Fund will provide three post-secondary scholarships to students from Caribou High School, Aroostook County, and Maine. Applicants must be FFA members, and high school seniors or in their freshman, sophomore or junior year in college. Preference is given to applicants pursuing post-secondary studies in farming or agriculture.
Contact: Local FFA advisors or Maine Community Foundation
Application Deadline: The application deadline for this scholarship has passed. Please check back in 2014 for your next opportunity to apply.
Nicholas Holt Challenge Scholarship
The Nicholas Holt Challenge Scholarship supports juniors and seniors at Unity College in an experiential learning project that is self-initiated, curriculum-based, and approved by an academic advisor. The donors have purposely included the word “challenge” in the name of this fund because Nick delighted in challenging himself and others to attempt the impossible, to say “I think I can.” Recipients of this scholarship in Nick’s memory will share the thrill of pushing their personal and educational boundaries, and their projects must reflect this spirit.
Contact: Academic Affairs Office at Unity College
Iberdrola USA Scholarship (formerly CMP Scholarship)
In 1989, Central Maine Power opened a fund to honor John W. Rowe, President and Chief Executive Officer of CMP from 1984-1989. In January, 1995, the John W. Rowe Scholarship was revised and renamed the CMP Scholarship. In 2013, the fund was expanded to include all affiliate companies of Iberdrola USA.
The Iberdrola USA Scholarship offers post-secondary support to dependents of current employees of its affiliate companies, including Iberdrola USA, Central Maine Power, New York State Electric & Gas Corporation, and Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation. Eligible applicants are dependents of active Iberdrola USA employees, age 17-22, who are graduating high school seniors or first-year college students enrolling in accredited two- or four-year post-secondary educational programs (including technical and certificate programs), who are involved in their communities, and are in good academic standing.
Awards will be made with consideration of personal aspirations, academic achievement, financial need, contribution to school, and involvement in community activities
Contact: High school guidance offices, CMP offices, or Maine Community Foundation
Application Deadline: The application deadline for this scholarship has passed. Please check back in 2014 for your next opportunity to apply.
Ella R. Ifill Fund
Ella Ifill was a teacher for 33 years. Education was very important to her, and her dream was to establish a scholarship fund to benefit Rainbow Girls in Maine. Mrs. Ifill began her service in Rainbow as a Mother Advisor of South Portland and Hampden Rainbow Assemblies. She then served the Grand Assembly of Maine, International Order of the Rainbow for Girls as State Dean of the Grand Cross of Color for 19 years. At her retirement, she was given the title of State Dean Emeritus. The Ella R. Ifill Fund provides scholarship support to eligible members of the International Order of the Rainbow Girls in Maine to pursue post-secondary education.
Contact: International Order of Rainbow Girls in Maine
Island Institute Maine Island Scholarship
The Island Institute Maine Island Scholarship Program offers renewable scholarship support to students from Maine’s 15 year-round unbridged island communities who are pursuing post-secondary education at a two- or four-year institution.
Contact: High school guidance offices, Island Institute, or Maine Community Foundation
Application Deadline: The application deadline for this scholarship has passed. Please check back in 2014 for your next opportunity to apply.
Island Institute Maine Island Scholarship renewal information
Edward G. Kaelber Scholarship for Maine Students of Outstanding Promise
The Maine Community Foundation and College of the Atlantic have created the Edward G. Kaelber Scholarship for Maine Students of Outstanding Promise to honor Edward Kaelber’s leadership and his contributions to the fields of education and philanthropy in Maine. Dozens of donors contributed to the Kaelber Scholarship, which will be awarded annually to COA students from Maine who have the potential for the bold leadership Kaelber personifies and who will use their skills and talents to bring about change in their communities.
Contact: College of the Atlantic
Keepers Preservation Education Fund
The Keepers Preservation Education Fund was established to support aspiring or established historic preservation professionals who wish to increase their professional knowledge or career potential. Scholarships may be used for tuition, professional meeting attendance, special book or other types of media purchases, domestic and foreign study travel, and other purposes as deemed appropriate. Eligibility is not limited to Maine residents. Applicants may be from anywhere in the United States. Awards are not retroactive. For more detailed guidelines and application instructions, visit this page.
Application Deadline: Rolling
Contact: Maine Community Foundation
Maine Vietnam Veterans Scholarship
The Maine Vietnam Veterans Scholarship Fund, founded in 1985, provides scholarship support to Maine veterans of the United States Armed Services who served in the Vietnam Theater and their descendants. As a second priority, the scholarship may be awarded to children of veterans of the United States Armed Services.
Contact: High school guidance offices or Maine Community Foundation
Application Deadline: The application deadline for this scholarship has passed. Please check back in 2014 for your next opportunity to apply.
Joseph W. Mayo ALS Scholarship
In 2000, while serving as Clerk of the House, Mr. Mayo was stricken with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Friends of Joe Mayo have established this scholarship to recognize his contributions as a father, friend and public servant. This scholarship was established to assist men and women who are children, step-children, grandchildren, spouses, domestic partners, or primary caregivers of people with ALS.
The Joseph W. Mayo ALS Scholarship is awarded annually to a student (or students) who are attending a post-secondary educational institution, including both four-year colleges and two-year associate programs. The recipient must be a graduate of a Maine high school or GED program.
Contact: Maine Community Foundation or Joseph Pietroksi
Application Deadline: The application deadline for this scholarship has passed. Please check back in 2014 for your next opportunity to apply.
Gary Merrill Memorial Fund
The Gary Merrill Memorial Fund was established in 1990 by Gary’s family and friends to commemorate his life. Gary was a distinguished stage and screen actor who appeared in many roles in the 1950s through 1970s. More important to Gary than his acting career was the pursuit of social justice to which he was passionately committed. Gary attended Bowdoin College and lived most of his life in Maine, loving the sea that gave him energy. This scholarship is intended for those who share Gary’s ideals and commitments. The fund supports Bowdoin undergraduates demonstrating financial need with preference given to Government majors who have distinguished themselves in their studies.
Contact: Department of Government and Legal Studies at Bowdoin College
Ruth Milan-Altrusa Scholarship Fund
This scholarship was established in 1993 in memory of Ruth Milan to provide scholarship support to students who are pursuing a B.S. in nursing in the Husson/EMMC Nursing Program.
Contact: Husson University financial aid office
Patriot Education Scholarship
In 2007, Patriot Mutual Holding Company merged into Frankenmuth Mutual Insurance Company, with Frankenmuth being the surviving company and owner of Patriot’s two wholly owned subsidiaries, Patriot Insurance Company and Patriot Life Insurance Company, both Maine-domiciled companies. Frankenmuth, founded on the tradition of neighbor helping neighbor, is committed to supporting graduates of Maine high schools pursuing a degree in business at a college or university in Maine, and, to that end, has established the Patriot Education Scholarship Fund at the Maine Community Foundation.
Eligible students are graduates of a Maine high school who are currently enrolled in a college or university in Maine pursuing a degree in business as a full- or part-time student. Part-time students must be carrying a minimum of nine credit hours to apply. Preference is given to applicants who have a demonstrated interest in personal and commercial insurance professions.
Contact: Maine Community Foundation
Application Deadline: June 1
Patriot Education Scholarship Application: Word | PDF
Patriot Education Scholarship renewal information
Jerome Peters Family Fund
The Jerome Peters Family Fund provides a scholarship in the memory of Michael K. Peters to a Maine resident who is a second, third or fourth year student at Bentley College. Preference is given to residents of Aroostook County.
Contact: Bentley College office of financial aid
Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram Scholarship
This fund provides renewable support to graduating high school seniors who are Maine residents enrolled full-time at the University of Southern Maine in a degree program that compliments the business of MaineToday Media. This includes but is not limited to: Accounting, Finance, Marketing, Management, Human Resources, Computer Science, Information & Communication Technology, and Communications & Media Studies. Recipients will be underrepresented students either by being racially or ethnically diverse or a first-generation college student. There is no application for this scholarship. The recipient will be chosen annually from the pool of eligible freshmen entering USM.
Contact: USM financial aid office
Rice Scholarship
The Rice Scholarship Fund was established in 1996 to provide scholarship support for students who have resided a substantial part of their formative years (K-8) on an offshore island of Maine in the area from Seguin to Eastport who are attending accredited, degree-granting colleges or vocational training schools. While preference is given to residents of offshore islands, eligible residents of bridged islands of Maine are also invited to submit an application. Recipients will be selected based on financial need and their ongoing, demonstrated commitment to community service. Applicants must have graduated from a non-sectarian high school.
Contact: High school guidance offices or Maine Community Foundation
Application Deadline: The application deadline for this scholarship has passed. Please check back in 2014 for your next opportunity to apply.
Rice Scholarship renewal information
Henry L.P. Schmelzer College Transitions Scholarship Fund
Henry L.P. Schmelzer College Transitions Scholarship Throughout his tenure as President and CEO of the Maine Community Foundation, Hank Schmelzer was a consistent advocate for the importance of higher education in Maine and helped to launch the Maine Compact for Higher Education in 2003. At his retirement in December 2008, generous donors recognized Hank’s leadership by establishing the Henry L.P. Schmelzer College Transitions Scholarship Fund to support the post-secondary aspirations of Maine adults returning to school.
This fund supports adult learners who have successfully completed the Onward program and have matriculated into the University of Maine, Orono. Consideration may also be given to students who have successfully completed at least one year of the Onward Program but who have yet to matriculate into the University of Maine, Orono. Preference will be given to residents of (in priority order) Hancock County, Washington County, and statewide.
Contact: College Success Programs, University of Maine