CNYCF Scholarship Resources & FAQ
This page provides tips and information for CNYCF scholarship applicants. You will find helpful information about how to apply for a scholarship on our Tutorials page. To access the CNYCF scholarship application system, click here.
What to Expect
2025 Timeline
Each CNYCF scholarship is created with a specific purpose in mind. As you complete the Universal Application, the system automatically matches you with every scholarship for which you are eligible. There are two parts to the application:
- Part 1 contains the main application. The questions are about you – your status as a student, what high school you attend, if you participate in extracurricular activities, etc. How you answer these will determine which scholarships you qualify for.
- Part 2 are the supplemental questions around those scholarships you qualified for in Part 1. Some scholarships have multiple supplemental questions, while others have none. You’re encouraged to craft a unique response to each prompt to show the reviewers why you’re the best candidate for that scholarship.
Your application has not been officially submitted until Part 1 and Part 2 (if supplemental questions are required) are completed.
Tips for Applicants
- Take your time and don’t rush through the application. You can logout and login as you please, but be sure to save your work before you logout.
- Read through all your answers before you submit. Look for spelling errors, incomplete sentences, see that all your documents uploaded correctly, and watch for answers that have too many characters.
- See our Scholarship FAQs below for help and for other resources that might be useful to you as you apply.
- A lot can change between the time you fill out an application and when you go to college in the fall. Answer application questions based on your situation at the time you are filling it out – if you change your degree or type of school you are attending, please notify CNYCF.
Submitting Academic Information
Some of our scholarships have criteria regarding your academic performance. Depending on your current educational status and when you completed high school or an equivalent degree, you will be prompted to provide different information.
Graduating Seniors
If you are graduating from high school this year (this includes dual credit students), you will be asked to provide your current cumulative, unweighted GPA. This should be from the previous fall semester. You will also send a transcript request to your counselor or school administrator through your application to confirm that the information you entered is correct. Your application will not be considered complete until your transcript has submitted through the online form.
Current College Students
Some of our scholarships have a mixed pool of applicants that include current graduating seniors and past graduates. Your college transcripts do not need to be official – you should not have to pay to get this information. We can help you convert an image into a PDF if you need. Your college transcript will need to show your name, your cumulative GPA, and the name of your institution.
Adults looking for professional development/career training opportunities
We have a few scholarships that are specifically for professional development. The application will adapt based on the answers you provide. If you need support with the academic information portion of the application, please reach out, and we will be happy to walk through this section with you.
Financial Need: FAFSA & Other Considerations
About a quarter of our scholarships consider financial need in the selection process. In Part 1 of your application, you will have a chance to share your financial need with us and the evaluators. You will be able to provide your Student Aid Index (SAI) from your completed FAFSA. SAI has replaced the previous EFC (Estimated Family Contribution) on a FAFSA summary.
There is an optional Financial Narrative question on Part 1 that gives you the opportunity to share information with us regarding extenuating financial circumstances and other factors that you feel are important to evaluators but are not considered through the FAFSA process. If you are not able to submit a FAFSA because of your immigration status, citizenship status or processing delays, you may still be eligible for scholarships.
CNYCF Recommendation Process
What is a third-party recommendation?
Recommenders complete an online form to verify information or provide short responses that help reviewers choose the best candidate for each scholarship. These forms appear as supplemental questions in Part 2 of your application – not all scholarship opportunities require recommendations from a third-party. There are two types of supplemental recommendations:
- Transcript Request: Your high school counselor or school administrator will verify your most recent academic information. You will need this person’s email address in order to send the third-party request through the system.
- Letter of Recommendation/Recommendation Form: A few of our scholarships will ask the recommender to upload a letter or fill out a form based on their knowledge of you, the applicant. This recommender may be a specific coach, music instructor, faith leader, employer, or advisor. Your recommender cannot be a family member. You will only see these requests if you qualify for a scholarship that requires a supplemental recommendation.
It is important to ask your contacts ahead of time if they are willing to provide you with a recommendation. Ask them before you fill out the third-party form in Part 2 of the application and be sure to confirm the email address they would like you to use. Inform them that they will receive both an email from you and an email from the Central New York Community Foundation (administrator@grantinterface.com) with details of how to submit their recommendation.
It is your responsibility to check in with your recommender before the deadline. If they did not receive your request, you should:
- Ask them to check their spam folder
- Ensure you entered their email address correctly
- If you need help resending a third-party request, email us at scholarship@cnycf.org
If your recommendations are not completed by the deadline, your application may not be considered by the evaluation committee.
Additional Resources
- National Center for College Students with Disabilities (NCCSD)
- Nationwide Scholarships Search
- Fastweb Scholarship Database
Frequently Asked Questions
Before Filling Out an Application (pre-application)
You have a lot of scholarships. Do I need to submit applications for each one?
You do not! CNYCF utilizes a universal application for all our scholarship opportunities. This application matches applicants to every scholarship with which they are eligible and is easily accessible through the online CNYCF Scholarship Portal.
Once you fill out an application, you are matched with the scholarships you are eligible for. You can then select the ones for which you’d like to complete the application process. Based on which scholarships you select, you may need to complete additional questions for each.
What is the amount of each scholarship award?
CNYCF scholarships offer varying award amounts, ranging from $1,000 to $10,000, depending on the size of the particular fund, the renewability of the scholarship, and the directions given by the donor(s) of the funds. Our application process is competitive, and not all applicants will receive a scholarship award.
What are the basic eligibility criteria?
Each CNYCF scholarship is created with a special intent and the selection criteria is determined by the donors when the fund was established. All of our scholarships can be applied to the full cost of attendance and can be sent to any US-accredited public institution, certified non-profit, or certification program.
We recommend searching on our find a scholarship page if you are wondering if you might qualify for any of our opportunities. If you are still uncertain, you may contact us, and we can talk through what you might qualify for.
Do I have to be a full-time college student to be eligible?
Some scholarships are only for current or potential full-time college students, but most only require that you are working towards a degree, certification, or training.
Can I receive both a CNYCF scholarship and a New York State Excelsior scholarship?
Yes. The Excelsior Scholarship provides tuition awards to eligible students attending New York State’s public colleges and universities (SUNY and CUNY). Because CNYCF scholarships may cover other educational expenses, (for example, non-mandatory fees, books, supplies, room and board, etc.), you may be able to apply your CNYCF scholarship award to these additional educational expenses.
Does it cost money to apply for a scholarship?
There is no charge to apply for CNYCF scholarships.
Universal Application & Portal
How Do I Find My Student Aid Index (SAI)?
To find your SAI amount, you should look at your FAFSA Submission Summary. Your SAI amount will be in the top right corner near your Data Release Number and the date of your application.
How do I upload documents to my application?
See the student user guide for additional tips on uploading documents.
- If the required document exists in an electronic format on your computer, upload it by clicking the Upload a File button below the application question and choose the desired document from your computer.
- If necessary, use your phone to take a photo of the document and upload the photo.
- Please do not upload a document that is password protected.
- File upload questions only accept one file per question, so combine all the pages of your document into one or else each page you upload will replace the one before. Once a file has been uploaded, it can be deleted by clicking the red X next to the file name.
What if I have questions about a scholarship or about completing my application?
Contact the CNYCF Scholarship Team, at scholarship@cnycf.org or by telephone at (315) 883.5555.
I’ve lost my password. What should I do?
To protect your security, CNYCF staff cannot access your password. You can reset your password on the CNYCF Scholarship Portal login page by clicking on Forgot your Password?. If you still need assistance, please contact our team at scholarship@cnycf.org or (315) 883.5555.
I need to change my email address and/or other contact information. Can I do that in the portal?
If you need to update your email address, mailing address, phone number, or other contact information, please email us at scholarship@cnycf.org.
After Filling Out an Application (post-application)
Do you accept late applications?
No. We do not accept late or incomplete applications. Know that you can work on parts of your application at any time in draft form, but you must finish and submit by the deadline.
What happens after I apply?
Scholarship recipients are selected based upon the specific criteria of each scholarship program. Completed applications are evaluated by the scholarship committees and CNYCF staff. These committees will recommend students to receive awards for specific scholarships.
See the chart at the top of this page for the scholarship deadlines and specific dates.
Can I make changes to my application after it has been submitted?
Once Part 1 of your application is submitted, you cannot make changes to it. You can reach out to our staff if you need to adjust a response – we can help you get it updated and double-check your eligibility.
The same goes with Part 2, once you submit all your supplemental questions, you will not to be able to make changes.
When will I be notified if I have received a scholarship?
You will be notified via e-mail regarding your application status by June 2. Please make sure that we have your correct email address on file and that you check it regularly for any communications about an award.
CNYCF makes every effort to notify all applicants of their status; however, if you have not received notification by July 1, assume you have not been selected to receive a scholarship.
If I receive a scholarship, when and where will the scholarship money be sent?
Scholarship awards are paid directly to the academic institution or non-profit in early August. Checks are made payable to the school, and your school account will be credited with the amount of the scholarship award. Under no circumstances will we send payment to the scholarship award recipient or any other individual.
Why hasn’t my college/university received my scholarship payment?
In order for payment to be processed, your Student Acceptance Form must be completed via the CNYCF Scholarship Portal by the deadline. If you are in years 2-5 of a multi-year scholarship, please refer to How Do I Renew My Multi-Year Scholarship? question below.
How do I renew my Multi-year Scholarship?
In order to receive your multi-year scholarship installments, you must submit the following each year:
- Academic transcript from most recent semester
- Proof of registration for the upcoming fall semester
Both documents must include:
- Name of your college, university or tech school
- Your name
- Your student ID
Documentation must be submitted through your account in the CNYCF Scholarship Portal. Each year, you will receive an email reminder from us with information about how to submit the necessary documents to renew your scholarship. Documentation that is emailed directly to us will not be accepted.
See the student user guide for directions on how to renew your multi-year scholarship. If you are not planning to continue college, please let us know so we can update your account.
Am I still eligible for my multi-year scholarship if I transfer schools?
In most cases, transferring schools will not affect your scholarship. Please contact the scholarship team at scholarship@cnycf.org if you plan on transferring schools. When you submit the documents for the renewal of your multi-year scholarship, you can also indicate on the submission form the name of your new school.
Don’t see your question?
Ask it here: scholarship@cnycf.org or give us a call at (315) 883.5555.