Guidelines for Creating a Scholarship Program
Within a Foundation at NHF

 

 

There are certain guidelines that the National Heritage Foundation has set up in accordance with the Internal Revenue Code pertaining to gifts to individuals from a Foundation at NHF. A payment to an individual can be justified for the services or products that he or she provides for the Foundation. However, if the Foundation wishes to assist a needy or deserving individuals through a scholarship, a grant, or an award program, the program must meet the following criteria:

 

 

1.      Bona Fide Public:  The individual must be a part of a bona fide public. This is a logical identifiable group that can be and is being added to. Who or what group proposed the individual to be selected?

2.      Public Criteria:  There must be public criteria that would differentiate one qualified applicant from another. The criteria must be disclosed to the public and the basis of the selection clearly defined.

3.      Sufficient Publicity:  There must be sufficient publicity so that a reasonable person might presume that the public listed above would know about the proposed award before it was made and have a chance to apply if qualified. This can be by newspaper articles, ads, radio, TV announcements, the Internet, bulletins, posted notices or flyers.

4.      Actual Competition:  There must be a bona fide attempt to have actual competition. We need to know and have before us the applications of all those who are being considered. We need to know those who were not selected as well as those who were selected.

5.      Impartial Selectors:  The impartial selectors should be people who are not related to the applicant by blood, marriage, adoption or employment. People of unquestioned competence, impartiality and integrity must have made the selection. We need the names and addresses of the people on this Selection Committee.

 

Please complete the following pages well before the scholarship program is conducted or announced. This will allow the Board of Directors at the National Heritage Foundation enough time to examine and approve the proposed Foundation Scholarship Program.

 

Complete the Following Form to Establish a
Scholarship Program for your Foundation at NHF

 

 

1.     Name of Foundation at NHF: _________________________________  Fdn. #: ________

2.     State Purpose of Scholarship or Grant: ________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

3.     Proposed Scholarship or Award Amount: $_____________    r  One-time   r Yearly
 

4.     State Criteria that Applicants must meet:  ______________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

5.     Identify Scholarship or Grant Selection Committee (Include names, titles, addresses & telephone numbers for each. Attach additional sheets as necessary.)

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

6.     Create Scholarship or Grant Application. Attach copy.

7.     What is the deadline for Submission?  ________________________________________

8.     When will the Scholarship or Award be presented?  ______________________________

9.     Where is the Scholarship or Grant Availability Being Publicized? ____________________
_______________________________________________________________________
 

10.             Where will the Recipient be publicized? (attach copy of proposed press release)  _________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________

Example of A Scholarship Application
for a Foundation at NHF

Criteria:

 

1.        Applicant must be a continuing or transfer student of XYZ College.

2.        Applicant must have a minimum 3.5 cumulative grade point average.

3.        Applicant must have completed a minimum of 24.0 units by the end of the Fall 1999 semester.

4.        Applicant must be currently enrolled in at least 9.0 units at XYZ College.

5.        Applicant must be enrolled in at least 9.0 units for the Fall 2000 semester.

6.        Applicant must show evidence of academic achievement and campus or community service.

7.        Applicant must designate one of the three fields of study listed below and may only apply once.

8.        Applicant must submit the following materials:

·   Copy of the most current transcript.

·   A completed scholarship application.

·   Two (2) completed recommendation/reference forms from current or former XYZ College instructors.

·   A typed, double-spaced essay of two pages addressing the topic: “How XYZ College Has Impacted My Academic Life.”

Scholarship Award: $1000.00

Scholarship Committee

Philosophy and Guidelines

 

It is the goal of the Smith Family Foundation Scholarship Committee to award scholarships to as many deserving students as possible. Scholarship applicants should keep the following in mind:

 

 

2000 Scholarship Committee Members

Planning Committee

Gloria Alvarez, Co-Chair

Anita Collins, Co-Chair

Vicki Atherton

Robert Blumenkrantz

Janina Espinoza

Lynn Gulkin

Heidi Hoffman

Patricia Salazar-Robbins

Paulette Sadler

Auxiliary Committee

Josie Gutierrez

Lori Lujan

Debra Morillo

Marjorie Clark

 

 

 

 


Sample Press Release

(You should write this on your Foundation letterhead, mentioning that your Foundation is

“A National Heritage Foundation”)

 

 

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

(PERSON’S NAME OR ORGANIZATION) RECEIVES ($ AMOUNT) SCHOLARSHIP/GRANT FROM THE XXX FAMILY FOUNDATION, A NATIONAL HERITAGE FOUNDATION

 

(City), (State) – (Date) – (Recipient Name) has received ($ amount) scholarship/grant from the XXX Family Foundation, a National Heritage Foundation. The scholarship/grant will be used to (state the use briefly).

 

(Give details about the recipient, and their background. Include a quote from them regarding how excited they are about winning the scholarship/grant and what it means to their future, or research efforts, or how it will help them to achieve their goals.)

 

 (Now describe in detail what your Foundation at NHF does, and why the scholarship/grant program was established.)

 

The National Heritage Foundation is a nonprofit, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3), charitable foundation located near Washington, D.C. Its purpose is to undertake projects (like the XXX Family Foundation) whose aim is to restore, maintain, and extend our heritage of people making people’s lives more meaningful. The National Heritage Foundation is “People to People Action.”

 

Since its inception in 1968, The National Heritage Foundation has been a “charity facilitator,” spawning successful charitable organizations throughout the nation. National Heritage Foundation currently has nearly 4,500 foundations under its umbrella. For more information about creating a foundation at NHF, contact Julie Houk at 1-800-986-4483, or via e- mail at foundations@nhf.org.

 

(If you wish, you may include contact information about you and your Foundation. If you have any pictures, you may include them with this press release.)

 

 

# # #

 

Sample for Grant Award

M E D I A  A D V I S O R Y

(You should write this on your Foundation letterhead, mentioning that your Foundation is

“A National Heritage Foundation”)

 

 

 

CONTACT:  (Foundation Name/person/phone number)

 

(PERSON’S NAME OR ORGANIZATION) TO RECEIVE SPECIAL FUNDING

 

(Introductory paragraph about the funded program)

 

Thanks to a grant from the XXX Family Foundation, A National Heritage Foundation, (list person or program name) will be able to address (community or social need being addressed). Please join us for a special presentation.

 

(If there is a community newsmaker or celebrity taking part, you may wish to include them in the lead paragraph.)

 

DATE:                         (Day of week and date)

 

TIME:                          (Both time of program and start time of actual “ceremonies or announcement,” i.e., “Event from 10-11 a.m., program comments at 10:30 a.m.)

 

PLACE:                       (Include special instructions/directions if there is a security area or specific entry point such as a parking deck or garage.)

 

PROGRAM

PARTICIPANTS:        Optional to include if there is involvement of key officials.)

 

INTERVIEW

OPPORTUNITIES:     (These can be the names and titles of specific individuals or generic, such as XXX Family Foundation representatives.”)

 

VISUAL

OPPORTUNITIES:       (Include phrases or angles about interesting photo opportunities that are part of your “event.”)