FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Q: Where and how do I apply for Fellowship Grant?
A: Founder Region Fellowship, Inc. utilizes CommunityForce for scholarship management. Create an account through this online portal and apply for the Fellowship Grant before January 25th.
Q: What is the status of my application? And how do I know if I was awarded or denied a scholarship?
A: Students who have been awarded a scholarship will be notified via email by mid-February. Those who were not selected will receive an email from President Vicki Ham at vickiham01@gmail.com. Students can also check the status of scholarships applied for by logging into their CommunityForce scholarship application. The email address used will the one you provided on your CommunityForce application. Be sure to check your “spam” folder or “junk” mail as some email servers do try and block these emails. (The email address you will receive this letter from is scholarship@cf.com). Please add this email address to your contacts so you can easily receive the emails.
Q: How much is the Fellowship Grant?
A: The amount of the grant will be announced in the email notification from the Fellowship President and can vary from student to student. There are several grants awarded each year.
Q: Who do I address the thank you letter to?
A: Founder Region Fellowship, Inc. official address is 3505 Pine Street, Eureka, CA 95503.
Q: I cannot login to Community Force, can you help me?
A: Applicants who cannot log into their Community Force application need to submit a help ticket here.
Q: Do I need to be enrolled in order to apply for this grant?
A: Applicant must be enrolled in a graduate school within Founder Region; including the Northern California counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Solano, Sonoma, the State of Hawaii, and the U. S. Territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Q: Can I apply for a Fellowship Grant every year?
A:Applicants can only receive one Fellowship Grant in total. If you apply and are denied, we invite you to apply again the following year, if all criteria is still met.
Q: Is the grant dispersed through my school?
A:No, the grant is given directly to the awardee and can be used to pay any expenses that aid in the completion of your degree.
Q: I am trying to input answer to the essay questions and it will not save. What do I do?
A:If you are trying to right-click and “paste” and this isn’t working, try “Ctrl+V”. If you are still having issues, email scholarships@cf.com for assistance.
Q: What scholarships are available to international students?
A:Yes, we encourage international students attending an accredited university within the boundaries of Founder Region to apply for a Fellowship Grant. Applicants must be enrolled in a graduate school within Founder Region; including the Northern California counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Solano, Sonoma, the State of Hawaii, and the U. S. Territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Q: How do I provide proof of enrollment?
A:You will be asked to upload all documents in the "Attachment" section.
Q: Do I need to provide my official transcript?
A:We accept unofficial transcripts through the application portal. We may request an "Official Transcript" at a later date if we need to verify information for whatever reason.
Q: Am I required to enroll full-time to receive this grant?
A: You do not need to be enrolled full-time to receive a Fellowship Grant.
Q: Who do I contact if I have a question?
A: Please contact the Fellowship president at vickiham01@gmail.com for questions.
Q: Who should I use as a recommender?
A:You should ask a current or former instructor and/or an academic advisor. Please choose individuals who know you well enough and are able to express to our institution Scholarship Committee your qualifications for such an award (i.e. character, academic achievements, financial need, and/or experiences).
Q: My recommender sent the letter directly to me, now what?
A:Letters of recommendation cannot be sent directly to the student applicant. A Request section is set up in the CommunityForce application site for applicants to send requests to potential Recommenders. These recommendations can only be completed using the online form.
*If issues are encountered in accessing or utilizing the form, submit a help ticket here. Please be aware that almost all educational institutions, health related organizations, clinics and hospitals, and government agencies or organizations have extremely high security settings preventing access to the online form. In order to avoid these issues, the student applicant may need to send the request to a Recommender’s personal email address and that may have to be accessed outside of the institution.
Q: What are the questions on the online reference form?
A: The staff/faculty completing the references will be asked the following questions:
Compared to other students, how would you rate this student in terms of: Motivation and Dedication, Initiative, Academic Achievement, Disciplined Work Habits, Ability to Set Goals and Accomplish them, Respect of Peers and/or Authority, Potential for Growth, Ability to Communicate Effectively (written and oral), Overall Recommendation.
Rating Scale: Outstanding (top 10%), Very Good, Above Average, Below Average, No Basis – Not Known
Writing Prompts: Please comment on the following:
- How long and in what capacity have you known the applicant?
- What is your perception of the applicant’s academic or professional performance/potential?
- Generally speaking, why do you recommend the applicant to receive a scholarship and how will her research impact women & girls?
- How does this applicant contribute to her community and/or impact women and girls in her field?
Q: My recommender is not getting the email to complete the recommendation?
A: The email will come from admin@communityforce.com with the subject line "UDEL Awards: Reference letter request". They should check their spam and unread folders first. You can also change the recommender and/or their email by clicking on "Request Section" and typing "OK" to resubmit the information.
Contact the 2024-2026 Fellowship President Vicki Ham at vickiham01@gmail.com if you have any questions.