Imagine America Scholarships

Scholarships have been part of the Imagine America Foundation (IAF) mission since our inception. These programs are targeted toward high school seniors who are ready to start their life journey, our military veterans who return from service in need of new professional skills, and adult learners who may need additional training or education to adapt to the changing professional landscape in their field. Over the years, IAF has awarded thousands of scholarships and grants to a wide variety of learners who have their own unique stories and paths in life. By supporting their dreams and giving them an opportunity to pursue education, we can help improve the livelihoods of students from all walks of life across the United States. If you currently work with IAF to award scholarships and grants to your students, we can’t thank you enough for being a partner in furthering our mission. If you are interested in finding out how you can join our mission, reach out to us so we can share more about the benefits of being involved with our scholarship and award programs.

High school scholarships help graduates develop employable skills

Right now, there are over 400 career colleges across the U.S. and Puerto Rico that participate in our high school scholarship award program. Created in 1998, this opportunity allows EVERY high school to nominate up to five seniors who meet graduation requirements to receive a $1,000 IAF scholarship. This money can go a long way toward covering tuition and other education-related expenses at one of the hundreds of participating career colleges in all parts of the country. Since its inception, the response has been amazing. By 2014, IAF had received over 91,000 applications for the high school scholarship and approved over 65,000 awards. Many of these students were the first in their families to attend college, and many came from challenging socioeconomic backgrounds.

This program is about more than helping students pay for costs. It’s about fueling the inspiration these students give others to accomplish their goals and overcome the challenges that are increasingly common in a fiscally tight economy. To implement this program effectively and make sure we’re meeting students’ needs, IAF works with over 18,000 high school counselors across the country.

Our Military Award Program (MAP) is on a mission to help veterans

As you can imagine, life in the military is a different world than civilian life. However, many of the life and job skills our veterans learn in the armed forces carry over into professional fields, which can position these veterans for success after they serve. However, to effectively transition into the workforce, many of these former soldiers need additional training to fully qualify for the positions they desire. Some may decide to enter a field that completely branches off from their previous path. Our MAP program was created in 2004 to help our brave men and women make an easier transition once they complete their duty to serve. Since its inception, the MAP program has received over 15,000 applications and signed off on over 12,000 awards to these veterans. Active-duty reservists and any honorably discharged or retired veterans can apply for this award. If your career college has supported our MAP program, we want to thank you for helping us support our troops. For colleges that want to learn how they can work with us to continue this great program, we would love to have you join our mission to help serve those who help make this country great.

Our Adult Skills Education Program (ASEP) brings new skills to life

One of the biggest challenges of maintaining your professional trajectory is making sure you have the current skills to be successful in your field. Although many companies provide training and educational programs to help keep workers up to date, there are times when adults with professional experience need to go back to school or attend school for the first time to be competitive in their profession. Although this scholarship is available to high school graduates who are at least 19 years old, our ASEP program can be the key to continued professional success for adults who need new skills or want to refresh their existing qualifications. This $1,000 award can help people across all industries prepare for the careers of tomorrow and current fields, such as technology, that continue to rapidly evolve.

Additional awards highlight our recognition of exceptional students

Successful, career-driven students come from all walks of life, with a wide variety of professional aspirations. That’s why our Adult Excellence Award, Imagine America Promise Award and our LDRSHIP Award are designed to recognize the abilities of high-achieving students and help them earn the education to accomplish their goals. The Adult Excellence Award is competitive and given to nontraditional students who need tuition assistance. The Imagine America Promise Award is made up of grants from our sponsors, which allow $500 for exceptional students. Our LDRSHIP Award recognizes students who have served honorably in the military and want to further their education.

In the coming years, IAF hopes to continue inspiring and helping more students find ways to better their lives and inspire their loved ones and friends to do the same. If your career college currently helps IAF through our scholarship program, we truly appreciate your support. And if you want to know how your school or organization can become involved in our scholarship and grant programs, contact us so we can work together to improve the lives of students across the U.S.