Student Scholarships
Scholarships through the Community Foundation support individuals of all ages who reside within the Dan River Region – Danville, VA; Pittsylvania and Halifax counties, VA; and Caswell County, NC. In 2025, we awarded more than $370,000 to 152 students.
We encourage all students to begin the application process early because incomplete or late applications are not eligible for scholarships. Please contact our office at info@cfdrr.org if you have any questions.
Scholarship Application Timeline
FAQS
Commonly Asked Questions
If you have a question that isn’t answered below, please contact us today!
Students may apply for a scholarship by submitting an online application. Our application consists of two parts. The first part asks for general information: the student’s name, address, school or college, work, volunteer hours, etc. The second part is related to specific scholarships that require additional information.
Once the two parts of the application are complete, and any additional questions have been answered, the application may be submitted. Students may contact us up until the day of the deadline if they need to change something on the application. After that, no changes may be made, nor will applications be accepted. There are no exceptions.
The Foundation’s staff and the Distribution Committee (which is comprised of board members) review and score each application. Recipients are selected based on academic merit, financial need, community involvement, a personal essay and references. In addition, criteria put in place by the donor is also considered.
Students must apply every year for a scholarship.
Our scholarship application process requires all applicants to submit references (teacher, guidance counselor, coach, pastor, employer, etc.). A reference should not be a family member or friend. It is the applicant’s responsibility to make sure references are turned in prior to the March 1 deadline.
Once an application has been submitted, applicants can check the status of their references by logging back into the portal and clicking the “submitted” tab to see if these items have been received. On this page, you may resend the reference request or change the email address and ask someone else for a reference.
In addition to the references, students are responsible for ensuring an official high school or college transcript is submitted before the deadline.
Applicants are encouraged to contact The Foundation during regular office hours (Monday – Friday 9 am-5 pm) to confirm receipt of the above items. Please do not wait until the last minute to call our office because we need time to review the application and applicants will need time to gather any missing information.
No. Award checks are mailed directly to the institution. If for any reason your status as a full-time student changes, the unused portion of the scholarship is returned to The Foundation by the institution.
Scholarships may only be used for educational purposes such as tuition, fees and supplies needed for classes.
Recipients are notified by the middle of May. Notifications are sent to the email address the student enters on the application. We encourage students to use an email address that is checked often, because notifications are sent via email throughout the entire process.
Students who are graduating seniors, or former graduates, from a high school in the Dan River Region may apply. (This includes students who are homeschooled.)
If you are a homeschool student, you must provide a transcript that has been notarized. The notarized transcript must be mailed or hand delivered to the Community Foundation’s office at 541 Loyal Street, Danville, VA 24541 by the deadline of March 1.
Apply for a Scholarship
Ready to take the next step in your education? Apply for a scholarship today!