NFB Idaho College Scholarship Program

Welcome Idaho Scholarship Applicant

The National Federation of the Blind of Idaho (NFBI), awards merit-based scholarships to blind/visually impaired, functionally blind, high school seniors or college students annually.

Students who are blind/Visually impaired, or receiving services from the Idaho Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ICBVI), attending an accredited college or university the academic school year beginning fall semester 2024 are urged to apply.

There will be three (3) merit-based scholarships in the amount of $3,000 awarded at the state convention of the NFBI, March 21 through 23, 2024, in Burley, Idaho. Scholarship finalists will have their expenses paid and are required to attend the convention.

Please Note individuals are limited to receiving an NFBI scholarship a maximum of two (2), times.
The scholarship letter and application can be downloaded here:

2024 NFB Idaho scholarship letter

2024 NFBI Scholarship Application

Application materials must be emailed to scholarships.NFBID@gmail.com no later than February 25, 2024, at 11:59 PM.

The following required Items must accompany each application:

1. A completed NFBI Scholarship application form.

2. A 700-word essay.

NFBI scholarships are merit based and are awarded based on scholastic achievement, financial need, and service to the community. In preparing your essay, please keep in mind that committee members and decision-makers are all successful blind professionals. Take some time to think how you personally can convey your best qualities in your own words.

This is an advocacy job; the committee members will note how you choose to do it.

Please also keep in mind that the awards are restricted to blind/Visually Impaired, and functionally blind persons, so the committee will be interested in what techniques and approaches you personally practice concerning your blindness.

3. Two letters of recommendation.

Letters of recommendation must be emailed directly to the committee (scholarships.NFBID@gmail.com) by the person making the recommendation.
Recommendation letters from family members are not accepted.

4. Transcripts.
Provide a current transcript from the education institution you are currently attending and transcripts from all other institutions attended.

Please email transcripts to scholarships.NFBID@gmail.com.

Transcripts sent via email which require access codes and have an expiration date are not accepted as the Committee works without staff and such transcripts often expire before they have been reviewed and printed.

If you have not yet attended such an institution or have not yet completed one year of study, send a copy of your high school transcript.

5. Proof of blindness or vision impairment signed by a doctor, VR counselor from the ICBVI, or another qualified professional from a recognized agency providing services to blind/visually impaired, and functionally blind individuals.

No application will be considered without this certification.

6. Interview with NFBI State President.

Applicants must contact NFBI State President, Dana Ard, at
(208) 345-3906, or email pres.NFBIdaho@gmail.com, to schedule an interview.

All application materials must be emailed to scholarships.NFBID@gmail.com and received no later than 11:59 PM, February 25, 2023.

President Ard and the scholarship committee look forward to hearing from you.

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), is a non-profit organization of blind people who are working to make life better for other blind people. You can receive funding from the Idaho Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired and still qualify for a scholarship from the NFB, both state and national.

There will be thirty scholarships awarded nationally plus an expense paid trip to the NFB National Convention. President Ard will be happy to submit a letter of recommendation on your behalf after she has had a chance to talk with you. The

deadline for the national application is March 31, 2024.
National applications may be completed online at www.nfb.org/scholarships. See details below.

We know that blind college students need extra money for specialized equipment and technology, travel, reader service and other necessities. This is an opportunity for blind students to receive funds with no strings attached. The expense paid trip to the national or state convention may be just as important as the scholarship award itself.

Past winners have told us that meeting other blind people and finding an advocacy organization which works to improve opportunities for the blind and visually impaired can be just as important as the scholarship itself. We urge you to apply.

Sincerely,
NFBI Scholarship Committee,
National Federation of the Blind of Idaho

The National Scholarship Program

The National Federation of the Blind’s annual scholarship program is the largest of its kind in the nation. Every year, we award more than $250,000 in cash and prizes to blind scholars across the fifty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico in recognition of their achievements and professional aspirations.

My parents gave us every resource we needed to be successful. But then their youngest daughter went blind in middle school, and suddenly they were navigating a world that they did not understand. So, I needed another family and in 2018, I found that family. I was selected as an NFB national scholarship finalist, and at the time, I had no idea what was in store for me. I got on a plane to Orlando, Florida, and I was overwhelmed by not only the resources, mentorship, and national community of students, but the love that filled every corner of the organization. —Trisha Kulkarni, 2018 and 2023 Scholarship Winner

Trisha Kulkarni Thanks to our generous partners, there are thirty $8,000 merit-based scholarships currently available. All scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic excellence, community service, and leadership. The finalists are announced every spring. They then attend our national convention in July when the winners of each individual scholarship are selected. Scholarship winners have gone on to succeed in careers ranging from computer science and engineering to civil rights law and international diplomacy.

How to Apply

The 2023-2024 scholarship application is now open. Complete the application today at scholarship.nfb.org. The deadline to submit a complete application is March 31.

Eligibility

The following requirements apply to all applicants:

Must be legally blind (PDF) in both eyes.
Must be residing in the United States, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico.
Must be 18 years of age by July 3, 2024.
Must be pursuing or planning to pursue a full-time, post-secondary course of study in a degree program at a U.S. institution in the fall of the year of application (one scholarship may be given to a person employed full-time while attending school part-time).
Must participate in person in the entire NFB National Convention and in all of its scheduled scholarship program activities (finalists will receive assistance to attend the national convention).

For more information regarding eligibility, we strongly encourage you to review our scholarship program FAQs.

4 Jim Halladay HumanWare/NFB Scholarship Opportunities

The National Federation of the Blind and HumanWare have proudly collaborated over the years to offer HumanWare/NFB STEM development opportunities to students. For 2024, the newly renamed Jim Halladay HumanWare/NFB scholarship has doubled the opportunities offered and will award 4 scholarships instead of 2! This year, HumanWare is offering to each of the four winning candidates one Brailliant BI40 braille display and $1000 to be used towards tuition fees to help winning students complete their studies and be ready to take on the world! To apply for these awards, NFB scholarship applicants will have an opportunity to select a checkbox which will give them access to the Humanware scholarship application questions as well. Please note: The selection process for these Humanware scholarships is entirely separate from the selection process for the 30 NFB scholarships. Those selected as Humanware/NFB scholarship winners will be notified separately by Humanware of their winner status. If NFB scholarship applicants do not wish to fill out the application questions for the Humanware/NFB scholarships, simply do not check the box within the NFB scholarship application and bypass the associated questions.

Helpful Resources

Past NFB Scholarship Winners

The 2023 Scholarship Winners

Read about more winners in past issues the Braille Monitor. Scholarship classes are typically highlighted in the August-September issue every year.

More Information

Thank you to our generous contributors who make our scholarship program possible.

2023 Thank You Video

2022 Thank You Video

For more information about the scholarship program, please contact our scholarship committee chairperson (email is preferred).

Cayte Mendez, Chairperson
NFB Scholarship Committee
Email: scholarships@nfb.org
Phone: 410-659-9314, extension 2415

NFB Scholarship Program
National Federation of the Blind
200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, MD 21230