Resources

Scholarships

LOCAL FOUNDATIONS

• Manatee Community Foundation

• Community Foundation of Sarasota County

• William G. and Marie Selby Foundation

• Gulf Coast Community Foundation

State

• Bright Futures

• Jose Marti Scholarship Challenge Grant Fund

• First Generation Matching Grant Program

• Florida Farmworker Student Scholarship Program

National

• College Board Opportunity Scholarships

• QuestBridge

• Hispanic Scholarship Fund

• The Gates Scholarship

• CareerOneStop (sponsored by the Department of Labor)

• Understanding Scholarships

More scholarship RESOURCES

• Launch Your Plan

• Scholarship Application Tips

Check out which scholarships you might be eligible for in our Scholarship Dashboard. Download it here*:

*Once downloaded, when you open it, make sure the macros are enabled for this interactive Excel document to work. The document might run a bit slow, but be patient. If you encounter issues, please refer to our non-interactive Master Scholarship document instead.

Undocumented and DACA Students

Definitions

• DACA: Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. To learn more, please go here.

• TPS: Temporary Protected Status. Protection granted for people to live and work legally in the U.S.

• Undocumented: People who live in the U.S. without immigration status.

Scholarships

• Golden Door Scholarship

• Hispanic Scholarship Fund

• TheDream.US

What can I do if I do not have a Social Security Number?

• Apply to college! According to Florida law, undocumented students can request an out-of-state fee waiver if they demonstrate they:

  • Attended a high school in the state of Florida for 3 consecutive years; and

  • Graduated from a Florida high school immediately after those 3 years of consecutive attendance; and

  • Applied for enrollment in a state university, Florida College System institution, or Florida career center or charter technical career center in Florida within 24 months after high school graduation.

• Explore your options:

  • Consider starting off at a local college that might be cheaper and then transferring to a university.

  • Look into private schools outside of Florida that offer financial aid to undocumented students.

  • Familiarize yourself with resources for undocumented students such as Informed Immigrant and Florida Department of Education Office of Student Financial Assistance.

  • Apply for scholarships!

FAFSA

FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and it is the form that high-school seniors and college students need to fill out to get any financial aid from the federal government to help pay for college. In addition, colleges and universities use this form to determine if the students are eligible for institutional grants and scholarships.

UnidosNow is a partner of REACH Manatee and PLANit Sarasota, the two Local College Access Networks (LCANs) in the region. As members of the FAFSA Committees of both LCANs, we participate actively in the planning and delivery of FAFSA workshops to assist students and their parents in completing the FAFSA. We also provide bilingual one-on-one consultations and training sessions for volunteers.

Click here to find the answers to some of the most common questions about FAFSA.

Bilingual Directory

Find here a bilingual resource directory, brought to you by UnidosNow and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.

Encuentre aquí un directorio de recursos bilingüe, preparado por UnidosNow y la Community Foundation of Sarasota County.

COVID-19 Resources

Below, please find a list of resources available for families and businesses in Sarasota and Manatee. For the most up-to-date information, please follow us on social media: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

A continuación, por favor, encuentren una lista de recursos disponibles para las familias y los negocios en Sarasota y Manatee. Para la información más actualizada, por favor, sígannos en nuestras redes sociales: Facebook, Instagram y Twitter.