FEEA’s 10 Minute Webinar Guides You Through Our Common Application Scholarship Process

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[Video presented with written slides in English]

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[FEEA LOGO]

[A screen with an image of a stack of books on the left side and a headline on the right side of the screen.]

Tips for Applying to FEEA's Scholarship Program

Hi everyone – welcome to our presentation on the FEEA Scholarship Program.

What is FEEA?

• "FEEA" is the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund, a national charity, founded in 1986 for federal employees by federal employees
• Programs:
• Emergency Hardship Loans
• Disaster Relief Grants
• Survivor and Merit Scholarships
• #FedLifeHacks
• K-12 Tutoring

FEEA is the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund, a national charity that’s been around for over 35 years with a mission to serve federal employees.

In addition to the merit scholarship program, FEEA’s fed focused services include emergency hardship loans, disaster relief grants, free online academic tutoring, and FedLifeHacks, an informational program for federal employees that offers advice and resources.

[A video animation appears on the screen of a web search bar and the address "FEEA.org" typed into the search box. A mouse arrow comes across the screen and clicks "Search"]

For more information about our programs and eligibility requirements, visit us at FEEA.org.

[a video of the FEEA website home page is on the screen with a mouse moving across the screen to the "our programs" menu bar and selecting "Scholarships"]

[The FEE logo transitions across the screen to the next slide with a 'swoosh' sound effect]

We believe in higher education!

Nearly 11,000 scholarships given since our founding

[a picture of a group of graduates in blue graduation gowns and caps smiling for the camera.]

FEEA champions the pursuit of higher education by putting college in reach for federal employees and their families. That’s why we’ve awarded nearly 11,000 merit scholarships since our founding recognizing students’ outstanding academic achievement and community engagement.

[The FEE logo transitions across the screen to the next slide with a 'swoosh' sound effect]

Our Scholarship Program Supporters

1. Individuals
2. Businesses
4. Unions
6. Associations

FEEA scholarships are funded through many generous donors: These include individuals who give directly through our website or pledge through CFC to FEEA pledge#11185. Our donors also include many businesses, unions and associations.

[a video scrolling through the scholarship page of the website where logos of sponsors appear]

For example, FedPoint, BCBS, and G-E-H-A all generously sponsor many of our scholarships each year.

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How much are scholarships?

1. $1,000 - $7,500
2. For tuition and fees

Scholarships are $1000-$7500 and can be used for tuition and required academic fees at any accredited college or university. Checks are made out directly to the college or university and mailed to the student at home. Scholarships are not renewable, but winners can apply every year they still meet the eligibility requirements.

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Eligibility

Federal emloyees and their:

1. Children
2. Step-children
3. Spouses
4. Legal dependents

For NARFE, PMA, and AFGE members as sponsors:

1. Children
2. Step-children
3. Grandchildren
4. Great-grandchildren

Eligible applicants are: federal employees, including postal employees, as long as they are full or part-time permanent civilian along with their children, step-children, legal dependents and spouses. Children applying must be under the age of 25 and must still be considered dependent on the parent’s tax return.

For NARFE members, PMA members, and AFGE members as sponsors, their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren are eligible to apply.

Applicants with a NARFE sponsor must be high school seniors only, applying for support for their freshman year of college.

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Eligibility, continued

1. At least 3 years federal service
2. Federal employees study part-time
3. Others must be full-time
4. 3.0 GPA

Continuing with eligibility, Federal employees, either applying themselves or sponsoring an applicant, must be employed with the federal government for at least three years as of the application deadline.

All applicants must have at least a 3.0 cumulative, unweighted grade point average. Please do not round up your GPA – if you do not have at least a 3.0, you are not eligible to apply.

Federal employee applicants may be enrolled as a part-time student – all other applicants must be enrolled or planning to enroll as a full-time student.

[The FEE logo transitions across the screen to the next slide with a 'swoosh' sound effect]

What is the application like?

1. Common application
2. Scholarship access: www.feea.org/scholarships

FEEA uses a common application, which means even though we have different partners and membership associations, everyone applying will be using the same application and have the same deadline.

[A video animation appears on the screen of a web search bar and the address "FEEA.org/scholarships" typed into the search box. A mouse arrow comes across the screen and clicks "Search"]

You can access the application at: feea.org/scholarships where you’ll also find detailed step-by-step scholarship instructions with some of the same information you’ll find in this webinar.

[a video of the FEEA website home page is on the screen with a mouse moving across the screen to the "our programs" menu bar and selecting "Scholarships"]

The individual enrolling as a student who is applying for the scholarship must be the one to both set up the account and complete the scholarship application. The applicant must complete the entire process themselves.

What is the application like?

1. Common application
2. Scholarship access: www.feea.org/scholarships

So, if you are sponsoring an applicant, you cannot set up the account for them and then have them complete the application as you risk disqualifying the applicant.

[The FEE logo transitions across the screen to the next slide with a 'swoosh' sound effect]

Sections of the Application

[An image of three circles laid out in the shape of a triangle with arrows show the direction of the process between the circles. First, "Pre-Qualifying Questions," then, "Sponsor Information," and finally, "Education"]

The application is divided into 6 sections, which you’ll see in these next 2 slides.

For those who have applied in the past, please note that we are using a new scholarship platform, so the application may look different and some of the instructions have changed.

Saving, Editing, and Submitting Your Application

1. Do not need to complete application at one time
2. Start, save, and come back at a later time
3. Changed and edits can be made before submitting
4. Once you submit, the application is locked and no further changed may be made
5. Only one application per applicant

You don’t need to complete the application in one sitting – you can start it, save it, and come back at a later time. If you forget your password, you can reset it.

You may make changes or edits to your application as needed before submitting your application. Be sure to hit “save changes” each time you make a change. Once submitted, your application will be locked and changes are no longer allowed. You may only submit one application.

Sections of the Application

[An image of three circles laid out in the shape of a triangle with arrows show the direction of the process between the circles. First, "Pre-Qualifying Questions," then, "Sponsor Information," and finally, "Education"]

After the pre-qualifying questions, the application will prompt you for information about you or your sponsor. As a reminder, if you are a federal employee applying for yourself, you are your own sponsor. All other applicants must have a sponsor who is a current federal employee, or a NARFE member.

If you or your sponsor are a member of one of the membership associations or unions listed in the application, please check all groups that apply to you. Depending on what you choose, other boxes might pop up for you to enter a membership number or additional details. Be sure to complete all required and prompted questions. If you’re not sure about a membership number or region number, check in with the organization to ensure the accuracy of all information.

Please note: FEEA will verify all memberships to ensure members are current and in good standing

While we do not require an official transcript, it is your responsibility to ensure fall 2022 grades are included. High school students and college freshmen will have to upload documents in two places – both your fall report card grades as one file upload and your complete transcript in the next upload section.

All other students will upload a transcript following the instructions in the application, which is based on your student status.

The file should be a pdf and ensure the transcript is not password-protected. Every year we have to disqualify applicants whose applications look great, but they don’t include their fall grades.

Redact Personal Information

1. Social Security Numbers
2. Birthdate
3. Home Address

Finally, before submitting your pdf application, please redact personal identifying information, such as your social security number, birth date, and address, from your transcript.

[The FEE logo transitions across the screen to the next slide with a 'swoosh' sound effect]

Sections of the Application, continued

[An image of three circles laid out in the shape of a triangle with arrows show the direction of the process between the circles. First, "Transcript Requirements," then, "Essay, Experiences, Plans," and finally, "FEEA Information Request"]

We ask you for three numbered lists

Redact Personal Information

1. Community Engagement
2. Extracurricular Activities
3. Awards

One for community engagement, one for extra-curricular activities, and one for awards.

Sections of the Application, continued

[An image of three circles laid out in the shape of a triangle with arrows show the direction of the process between the circles. First, "Transcript Requirements," then, "Essay, Experiences, Plans," and finally, "FEEA Information Request"]

We ask you for three numbered lists

You only need to go back 5 years, no more. Start with what you believe to be the most important activities first, then continue the list in descending order of significance. You will want to provide details on what you did, your role, and for how long. In addition, please spell out any acronyms as reviewers might not be familiar with an organization. Don’t forget to include any work or internships – those are important, as well.

Secondly, we ask for a 500-word essay answering the specific question on the application. Our application platform does not have formatting options within the box for the essay, so make sure your grammar, punctuation, and spacing are all correct. Take the time to develop an essay that is clear, compelling, thoroughly answers the question, and gives both facts and opinions. If you only write a couple of sentences or have several grammatical mistakes, chances are, your application will not be considered.

The most important piece of advice for writing your scholarship essay is to not wait until the last minute. Take the time to put together a compelling essay and run it through several revisions sessions with a proofreader.

If you need assistance with starting your essay or proofreading your work, there are a number of resources available at your disposal.

[a video of a FEEA #FEDLIFEHACK story on the website entitled, "College Resources to Aid in Your College Admissions Journey," the video scrolls through the various resources and stories available on the page.]

FEEA has a number of #FedLifeHacks stories with resources to aid in writing scholarship essays.

Resources at School

1. Check-in with trusted teacher
2. College Counseling Office
3. Writing Center
4. National Honor Society volunteers

Check in with a teacher at school, with your college counseling office, writing center, or national honor society volunteers. Additionally, FEEA offers free online tutoring to eligible families through tutor.com, which includes essay writing assistance and proofreading.

Sections of the Application, continued

[An image of three circles laid out in the shape of a triangle with arrows show the direction of the process between the circles. First, "Transcript Requirements," then, "Essay, Experiences, Plans," and finally, "FEEA Information Request"]

We ask you for three numbered lists

Please note that we check all candidates' work for plagiarism, so make sure the work is all your own.

The final section of the application is where we collect demographic data. The volunteer selection committee members who review applications do not have access to this information. This information is only used to review recruitment efforts to ensure we are reaching a diverse group of candidates.

[The FEE logo transitions across the screen to the next slide with a 'swoosh' sound effect]

Don't be Disqualified!

1. Transcript and fall grades
2. Application attachments
3. Original work
4. Hit Submit!

As a reminder, here are common reasons for applications to be disqualified: We need a transcript from EVERYONE, regardless of your student status– follow the directions in the application based on your student status, for uploading your transcript and fall grades.

Make sure all your attachments are saved and uploaded as PDFs. If the attachment can’t be opened or we can’t read it for any other reason, your application will be disqualified.

Make sure all your writing is your own work and original! We check for plagiarism. Check our #FedLifeHacks section for articles on crafting essays and avoiding accidental plagiarism.

Lastly, make sure to submit your application once complete. If you don’t click the submit button, your application will not be considered. Once you click submit, you will no longer have access to edit your application, so make sure it is complete, with all questions answered to your satisfaction before submitting.

[The FEE logo transitions across the screen to the next slide with a 'swoosh' sound effect]

1. Academics
2. Community Engagement
3. Writing Quality

We have a diverse selection committee with over 200 members. Multiple committee members review each application looking at the record of academic and personal achievement, community service and extracurricular activities, earned awards, and the quality of writing throughout the application.

[The FEE logo transitions across the screen to the next slide with a 'swoosh' sound effect]

Notification

August

[a picture of a megaphone with the word "Scholarship" coming out of it]

We will let you know the results of your application by August. If you are selected as a winner, you will receive a package in the mail with paperwork that needs to be signed and returned before your check is mailed. The check is made out to your university and mailed to you at home.

If you are not selected as a winner, you will be notified through the email address used in your application. For all applicants, make sure you use a personal email address in your application that will still be available to you in the summer – for example, if you have a high school email address, that’s not the one to use, because you will have graduated and no longer have access to it.

We will only provide information and notification to the student. We are unable to provide information or details if parents or grandparents call or email to inquire about results.

[The FEE logo transitions across the screen to the next slide with a 'swoosh' sound effect]

[An image of a chalkboard with the words "Don't miss the deadline." A round stop watch replaces the letter "O" in "Don't"]

Application Deadline: Check the current scholarship page

Visit www.feea.org/scholarships for full instructions!

The system will automatically shut down at 3pm Eastern time on the day of the deadline and you will no longer have access to your application. Please do not wait until the last minute to complete your application. We will not provide extensions for any reason.

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[The FEE logo transitions across the screen to the next slide with a 'swoosh' sound effect]

[A video animation appears on the screen of an email box typing in the email address: "[email protected]" a mouse arrow comes across the screen and click a blue button with the word "Email"]

If you have any questions that have not been answered, please email scholarships@ feea.org and we’d be happy to help.

[The FEE logo transitions slowly across the screen]

Best of luck to all of you and we look forward to reading your applications.

[A graphic appears on the screen with two other FEEA videos from the same college admissions process category that may be of interest: "Understanding College Aid Letters," and "Balancing Retirement and College Savings"]

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