Edwards Scholarship Fund

The Edwards Scholarship Fund was established in 1939 by Grace M. Edwards, a lifelong resident of Boston. The Fund seeks to further the development of good citizenship through education by offering college scholarships to men and women of good character and ability who are in need of financial assistance.

Eligibility

Applicants must reside in the City of Boston from at least the start of their junior year in high school. New and returning applicants must have a permanent address in Boston at the time of their application. The City includes many neighborhoods: Allston, Back Bay, Bay Village/South Cove, Beacon Hill, Brighton, Charlestown, Chinatown/Leather District, Dorchester, Downtown/Financial District, East Boston, Fenway/Kenmore, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Mission Hill, North End, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, South End, West End, and West Roxbury.
The Edwards Scholarship is a “gap scholarship,” meaning it can cover the difference between the amount of financial aid your college is awarding you and the amount it has determined your family can pay. The scholarship is paid directly to your school and can be applied to tuition, on-campus housing, on-campus meal plans, or, in some cases, to reduce self-help (work-study, certain loans). Please review your college’s policies on external scholarships to understand how a scholarship might impact your financial aid package and to ensure it will not reduce your school-awarded aid.
Students can apply to be first-time recipients while they are in high school or college. High school applicants receive priority.
Applicants must have a high school diploma or GED prior to the start of their first semester in college.
Applicants must have demonstrated financial need.
Colleges and universities attended must be regionally accredited and offer recognized degrees.
Students attending community college in Massachusetts are ineligible, as in-state community colleges are free to attend for Massachusetts residents. Students transferring out of community college to a four-year college may apply.
Students can receive the Edwards Scholarship for four years of undergraduate education. The trustees can allow additional time when special circumstances merit an extension.
Applicants must have and maintain a grade point average, or higher, of 2.0 on a 4-point scale or the equivalent on another scale.
The trustees reserve the right to withdraw a scholarship at any time if a student’s record or actions prove to be unworthy of a recipient.
Relatives of Trustees, employees of the Fund, and major donors to the Fund cannot receive the Edwards Scholarship.

Deadlines

Applications must be submitted through our online application portal. Please note if the deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, the application is due by 5pm EST on the following business day.

The application portal opens March 1 for all applicants. All applications are due May 15 at 5pm.

INFORMATION FOR FIRST-TIME APPLICANTS

The First-time Application is meant for high school seniors. You will also be asked to submit the following:

Your college admissions essay
To the extent not covered in your college admissions essay, a description of meaningful parts of your high school experience, including academics, extracurriculars, employment, awards and honors, and/or community service (max 250 words)
To the extent not covered in the prior essays, how you would help “pay it forward” after graduation to help your community become stronger (max 250 words)
Any special circumstances such as unemployment, illness, tuition expenses, support paid on behalf of family members (example, grandparents) who are not tax dependents, etc. (max 250 words)
FAFSA Submission Summary for the upcoming academic year, including your Student Aid Index (SAI)
Financial Aid Package from your college for the upcoming year.
Letter of Recommendation (see below)
Transcript (see below)

The application contains a section for high school students to provide their school counselor’s name and email address. We will notify your counselor directly with a link to submit your letter of recommendation and transcript online. Counselors will be able to submit these documents but will not be able to view the rest of your application.

Letters of Recommendation: Current high school students applying for a scholarship should ask their school counselor to submit a recommendation. They may submit an existing recommendation (used for your college applications) or a new one written specifically for this scholarship.

Transcript: Your school counselor should submit the most recent version of your transcript (showing Fall term’s grades).

INFORMATION FOR RENEWAL AND COLLEGE APPLICANTS

Students must re-apply for the scholarship each year. In order to be considered, you must maintain a permanent address in the City of Boston and meet the eligibility criteria described above.

The Renewal Application is for current or past recipients of the Scholarship who wish to re-apply. Current college students applying for the first time should also apply using the renewal application.

You will be asked to submit the following:

A description of meaningful parts of your college experience, including academics, extracurriculars, employment, awards and honors, and/or community service (max 250 words)
To the extent not covered in the prior essay, how you would help “pay it forward” after graduation to help your community become stronger (max 250 words)
Any special circumstances such as unemployment, illness, tuition expenses, support paid on behalf of family members (example, grandparents) who are not tax dependents, etc. (max 250 words)
Your most recent transcript
FAFSA Submission Summary for the upcoming academic year, including your Student Aid Index (SAI)
Financial Aid Package from your college for the upcoming year. If your package is not yet available, please submit last year’s package.

Online Application

Carefully read the guidelines on this page to determine eligibility and fit with the Fund’s current priorities.

Applications must be submitted via the GoApply online portal linked below. Scholarship applicants MUST register as “Individuals.” Please review this guide on how to register. Click here for a password assistance guide.

Successful applicants will be notified by email in mid-July. Students must provide the mailing address of the College Bursar or Financial Aid Officer before a grant check, made payable to the college, may be issued.

ONLINE APPLICATION

AFTER GRADUATION

Grace Edwards hoped that recipients of her Scholarship would repay the Fund when they were established in their professions and able to do so. The Scholarship is gift money, not a loan, and repayment is voluntary. Grace Edwards hoped that the Fund would grow from repayments, enabling even more future students to receive the benefit of the Scholarship. Donations to the Fund complete the circle of giving. We also have donors who are not past recipients of the Scholarship but who wish to support students working hard to achieve their educational goals. Our students face many financial challenges, high loans, limited aid packages, strained family finances. The Edwards Scholarship Fund has helped meet those challenges since 1939.

The Edwards Scholarship Fund is an eligible charity under Section 501 (c) (3) of the IRS tax code. Donations are tax deductible and are acknowledged in writing by the Fund. We accept donations made by payroll deduction and matching funds from the donor's place of employment.

Most donations are made in the form of a check. We cannot accept cash or online credit card payments. Donations made through an employer's payroll deduction plan can be deposited electronically. Our contact information is:

Elizabeth Quartararo
Edwards Scholarship Fund
c/o Hemenway & Barnes LLP
75 State Street, 16th Floor
Boston, MA 02111
Ph: 617-619-8283
Email: scholarships@hembar.com

Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Contact

Elizabeth Quartararo
Edwards Scholarship Fund
c/o Hemenway & Barnes LLP
75 State Street, 16th Floor
Boston, MA 02111
Ph: 617-619-8283
Email: scholarships@hembar.com