HANDY Book Scholarship

Scholarship Criteria

  • Must be a resident of Broward, Palm Beach or Miami-Dade County. Please note that Broward County applicants will receive priority.
  • Possess a high school diploma or a GED.
  • Unweighted grade point average (GPA) of a 2.0 on a 4.0 scale. College students must be enrolled in at least 6 credit hours to be eligible.
  • Must meet at least one of the following. If selected to receive the scholarship, you will need to provide supporting documentation:
    • Former, or current foster care youth
    • A ward or dependent of the courts
    • Former, or currently in relative/non-relative care
    • Active in the Fostering Panther Pride program at Florida International University
    • Former Broward County ICON program participant
  • Acceptance into an accredited 2 or 4 year post-secondary institution.
  • Transcripts and SAT/ACT scores.
  • Two letters of recommendation. One letter needs to be from a school staff member.
  • Copy of the Student Aid Report (SAR) from your Free Application for Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA). You may complete the FAFSA online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. The SAR will be reviewed only for the purpose of assessing your financial need, and will be treated as confidential information.
  • Completion of required essays.
  • Completion of the Scholarship Candidate Agreement.

If awarded the HANDY Book Scholarship, the student will be awarded $500 for the first semester of attendance. The monies can only be used to purchase books and supplies available for purchase in the respective school’s bookstore. The scholarship will then be awarded as follows for subsequent terms based on the following criteria:

2.0 – 2.5 GPA $150
2.51 – 3.0 GPA $300
3.01 + GPA $500

Note: the maximum award for the academic year is $1,000. The scholarship will not be awarded during the summer semester.

Please read and follow the instructions carefully prior to submitting your application. If you chose not to upload your supporting documents online, please make sure that you include the HANDY Scholarship Check List when you mail your documents. All applicants will be notified by August 1st if they are to be awarded the scholarship.

HANDY Book Scholarship Check List

  • Please fill out form and submit or download the form and mail documents to:


    HANDY
    Attn: Yushika Florence
    501 NE 8th Street
    Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33304

  • Download Checklist

    • Official high school transcript or unofficial college transcript/degree audit
    • Two letters of recommendation, one must be from a school staff member
    • ACT and/or SAT scores
    • Student Aid Report (SAR) from FAFSA
    • Photograph
    • Supporting documentation (foster care, relative/non-relative care, ICON program)
    • Financial aid award package from college
  • Drop files here or
    Accepted file types: jpeg, png, gif, pdf, doc, docx, Max. file size: 50 MB.
    • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

    HANDY Book Scholarship Application