Sport Clips Help A Hero Scholarship

The VFW's "Sport Clips Help A Hero Scholarship" provides service members and veterans with the financial assistance they need to complete their educational goals without incurring excessive student loan debt. It’s just another way for us to say "thank you” to those who fought for our freedoms.    

Scholarship Details:

• Scholarships of up to $5,000 will be awarded to qualified applicants.
• Awarded scholarships are limited to one per family per semester.
• Applications for the fall semester will be accepted Jan. 1 through April 30.
• Applications for the spring semester will be accepted Aug. 1 through Nov. 15.
• Fall semester scholarships will be awarded in August, and spring semester scholarships will be awarded in January.
• Scholarships must be used by the end of the school semester for which the veteran is applying or they will become null and void.
• Scholarships are restricted for tuition and fees only and will be paid directly to accredited schools.

Eligible Applicants Must:

• Be a citizen of the United States.
• Be retired, honorably discharged, active duty, or a member of the National Guard or Reserve.
• Have completed Basic Training and follow-on training (Advanced Individual Training, technical school, etc.).
• Separated with or currently hold a military rank of E-5 or below.
• Demonstrate a need for financial assistance.
• Participate in, be accepted to or currently enrolled in a VA-approved program or school at an accredited post-secondary institution.

APPLY FOR THE VFW HELP A HERO SCHOLARSHIP

VFW's Student Veteran Support Grant

The VFW recognizes that both funding and support for our student veterans and dependents at institutions of higher learning, can often be difficult to find. The VFW's Student Veteran Support Grant offers much needed assistance to support specific student veteran events. The grant, administered by the VFW Washington Office, focuses on supporting the overall student veteran population within the community, which consists of many student veterans at campuses across the country that are not affiliated with an SVA chapter. The grants will be disbursed to a VFW Post or Department that has submitted an application, to support the student veterans at the university or college. 

Grant Eligibility:

• Applicants must be VFW members associated with an appropriate entity of the VFW (VFW Post, District, Department, or National).
• Appropriate VFW Post, District, Department, or National leadership serve as the convening authority on the grant request and is responsible for receiving funds.
• Funds must be utilized for events and outreach designed to assist and support veterans currently enrolled in institutions of higher learning.
• Grants may be awarded up to $500 to support each event, and grants can be awarded to a VFW entity twice each fiscal year, totaling up to $1,000.

To apply for the SVS Grant contact VFW Post 4938.

1STUDENT VETERAN

Today's veterans can face any number of obstacles while furthering their education. Taking advantage of all the benefits they've earned and DESERVE shouldn't be one of them. That's why the VFW, in conjunction with the Student Veterans of America (SVA), developed the 1 Student Veteran program. 1 Student Veteran offers direct assistance to student veterans who have questions or are experiencing problems accessing their VA benefits.

1 Student Veteran can help with:

 -  Resolution of wrongly denied or delayed educational benefits

- Provides expert assistance for veterans who need:

- Guidance in filing for GI Bill benefits

- Help accessing education benefits

- Answers to VA benefit questions

Veterans who send a message to 1 Student Veteran (1studentveteran@vfw.org) will receive a reply from a VFW staff member who specializes in student veteran issues within 24 hours or the next business day.

If you have already confirmed your benefit eligibility through the VA's GI Bill Hotline, 888.GI.BILL, and double-checked your enrollment verification with your school, take the next step and contact 1 Student Veteran todayVeteran today. 

SVA LEGISLATIVE FELLOWSHIP

We have been advocating on behalf of veterans, service members and their families for more than a century, and we want to share our experience with a new generation of veteran leaders. The VFW-SVA Legislative Fellowship grants exemplary student veterans (Fellows) the chance to join the VFW legislative team on Capitol Hill during the VFW Legislative Conference hosted in early spring each year. The Fellows will walk the halls of Congress, educating their legislators on the issues facing today’s student veterans and have the opportunity to meet with policy-makers from federal agencies responsible for implementing veterans' policy.

Candidates will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Submission of an essay proposal based on one of four priority issues for the veterans' community
• VFW membership eligibility
• Current enrollment at an accredited college or university
• Any major is eligible to apply and some majors are eligible for academic credit

Student veterans interested in applying must complete an application package that includes an essay proposal on one of four specific legislative issues. The proposal should include a discussion of why the issue is important to the veteran community, and how the fellowship candidate plans to address the issue through federal policy solutions and community-based advocacy. Selected fellows will then be flown to Washington to ensure the veterans’ voice is delivered to Capitol Hill alongside 500 fellow veteran advocates as part of the annual VFW Legislative Conference held in March.

For the application essay proposal, applicants must select one of the following veterans’ issues to write about: 

• Student veteran success on campus and beyond
• Improving veteran’s health care and benefits
• Transition from military to civilian life 
• Challenges for service members and military families 

Expenses covered for the fellowship include airfare, hotel accommodations, local transportation to/from meetings and a per diem allowance to participate in the VFW Legislative Conference.

Check our more about our SVA Fellowship.