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For fall 2027, you must meet all of these requirements:
• Be age 24 or younger on March 1, 2027.
• Be first-generation: neither parent nor legal guardian has completed a bachelor’s degree.
• Attend an institution in Washington, Oregon, or Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai, or Shoshone County in Northern Idaho. Your home address does not determine eligibility.
• Begin or continue an eligible two-year, four-year, private career, trade, or certificate program in fall 2027. Full-time, part-time, online, and hybrid study qualify. You may apply while awaiting admission.
• Have a cumulative high-school GPA of at least 2.75 or a completed GED. Continuing students with a postsecondary GPA must have a most recent cumulative college or program GPA of at least 2.75. Programs without GPA or letter grades require documentation of good standing or satisfactory progress.
• Have experienced at least one barrier to educational opportunity. You do not need to share a detailed trauma narrative.
Provide one academic and one personal or community recommendation from non-family references. Work, volunteering, extracurricular activities, and family caregiving count equally, with no minimum hours.
Awards cover one academic year and are paid directly to your institution for approved costs of attendance. There is no automatic renewal; eligible students may reapply.
Are You Eligible for a Scholarship?
Important Dates
The Morning Star Foundation will be accepting online grant applications November 1-30. All materials must be received no later than 11:59 pm on November 30th to be considered. Applications will be reviewed throughout the month of December and applicants will be notified of their funding request status on or before December 31.
Get Your Questions Answered
For more information, questions about program eligibility or about applying, please call 509.448.1412 or send an email inquiry to admin@morningstar-foundation.org.
How to Apply for a Morning Star Foundation Grant
Check your organization’s eligibility after November 1.
Step 1: Check Your Eligibility
Step 2: Start Your Application
If your organization is eligible, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to a pre-filled form to begin your application. You will be allowed to save your application and restart at any time using the link in the email.
Send an email to admin@morningstar-foundation.org with any questions you have about the grant application process before Sunday, November 8th at 5:00 pm. These will be answered during the info session.
Step 3: Submit Questions
Attend an info session at 12:00 pm on Monday, November 9th to have your questions answered. We will be covering specific how-to tutorials and explaining the application process in detail.
Step 4: Attend Info Session
Step 5: Submit Your Application
What You Can Expect from the Granting Committee
The Morning Star Foundation is tasked with the stewardship and sustainability of the Foundation’s assets to support administration of grant funding to the programs that carry out our mission. Our Grants Administration Committee meets all throughout the year to streamline the granting cycle process, review applications for eligibility, and award grants to the nonprofits that solve the problems we care about the most. The granting committee intermittently reviews the progress of each program and reports the impact they are having back to our donors.
A special meeting is held during the month of June to review the Foundation’s financial performance and determine the amount that will be available for granting throughout the next cycle. The funds available for granting varies from year to year and may be limited during times of economic downturn and organizational restructuring. For this reason, the Foundation does not provide grant funding to cover administrative costs and payroll related expenses.
How To Apply For a Believe in Me Scholarship
Step 1: Check Your Eligibility
Check the full requirements above before starting. Your institution—not your home address—must be in Washington, Oregon, or an eligible Northern Idaho county. You may apply while waiting for admission. Eligible students may begin or continue college, career, trade, or certificate study in fall 2027, including part-time, online, and hybrid programs.
Step 2: Watch Our Info Session
CLICK HERE to watch the recording to get all the details! If you still have questions after watching the recording, click here to schedule a meeting with someone from our team. We are here to help you succeed!
Step 3: Submit Your Application
Submit your application and applicant materials by March 1, 2027, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Recommendations and official education records are due March 8 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific. Saving a draft is not submission. Submitted applications are final. Late materials are accepted only when a documented Believe in Me system outage prevented submission.
Roadmap to Success
Important Dates to Remember
2027 calendar — Pacific Time
January 15, 9 a.m.: applications open
March 1, 11:59 p.m.: applications and applicant materials due
March 8, 11:59 p.m.: recommendations and official records due
April 15: decisions emailed
April 30, 11:59 p.m.: award acceptance due
August 16: enrollment and payment documents due
Get Your Questions Answered & Share Our Flyer
Click Here to download and distribute our informational flyer promoting the program. For more information, questions about program eligibility, or applying, please call our office at 206.414.8043, email our team at admin@believeinme.org.
Frequently asked questions
Watch the Info Session to Learn More Details
Questions about the fall 2027 scholarship? Email scholarships@believeinme.org for eligibility, application, or accessible-response support. Use the 2027 requirements and dates on this page; older information-session recordings may describe a previous cycle.