Suffolk, VA, February 10, 2025 — The Suffolk Foundation is now accepting scholarship applications from local high school seniors and college students through its website: suffolkfoundation.org. The foundation will be awarding over $140,000 in scholarships this spring, with individual awards ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. All scholarships are intended to pay for educational costs for a student to attend college, university, or trade school in the fall.
Students throughout Western Tidewater can apply, including students from Suffolk, Franklin, Smithfield, Isle of Wight County, Southampton County, Sussex County, Surry County, and Gates County, North Carolina. Some scholarships consider financial need, while others are merit-based. There are some scholarships targeting specific fields of study, such as art, nursing, engineering, or education. Others look at leadership experience, community involvement, athletic participation, or learning differences.
The Suffolk Foundation’s largest scholarship is in partnership with the Obici Healthcare Foundation and targets local students who plan to pursue a career in healthcare, and who commit to returning to (or staying in) Suffolk or Western Tidewater to do so. This scholarship is for $10,000 per year, for up to four years total for undergraduate study. Recipients will be invited to apply for additional scholarship funding for up to four more years of post-graduate study.
New this year is a scholarship in partnership with AMADAS Industries, which is open to students planning to study engineering, agricultural technology, or a manufacturing-related skilled trade. Students who have interned at AMADAS may be given preference (this includes junior welders and junior engineers), but the scholarship is open to any local high school or college student.
The Suffolk Foundation’s application is a common application, meaning applicants can be considered for up to 17 different scholarships (depending on eligibility) through the one application. The application is online at www.suffolkfoundation.org, and the deadline to apply is Friday, March 21.
This year, the Suffolk Foundation will again award a $1,000 “Just Because” Scholarship, in a random drawing of those who applied and were not awarded any other scholarship.
In addition to the 17 scholarships awarded through the online common application, two scholarships are offered exclusively for students at Paul D. Camp Community College. These scholarships and their applications are managed by PDCCC. To apply, please contact PDCCC Financial Aid office (757-569-6711 or financialaid@pdc.edu). All of the Suffolk Foundation scholarships were generously established by local families, businesses, and other groups, who work with the foundation to establish criteria and a selection process. Anyone can start a scholarship program through the Suffolk Foundation. To learn more about establishing a scholarship of your own, contact the foundation at 757-923-9090.
