Scholarships.

Since 1986, FEEA has given over 11,000 merit-based scholarships to federal public servants, their spouses, children, and grandchildren. An additional nearly 200 scholarships to surviving children whose federal employee parents died or were severely injured in the line of duty during terrorist attacks, such as those on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, the Pentagon on 9-11, and the US Embassies and Consulates in Kenya, Tanzania, and Libya.

Collectively, our scholarship program to date totals over $14 million. FEEA champions the pursuit of higher education and each year supports over 200 students with merit-based scholarships.

View the 2024 finalists

Scholarship Instructions
Scholarship Webinar
2025 Application

The application for FEEA’s 2025 Scholarship Program is closed. Application for the 2026 program will open in November 2025.

FEEA thanks the thousands of individual donors and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Employee Program opens a new window, FedPoint opens a new window, American Federation of Government Employees opens a new window, Professional Managers Association opens a new window, Government Employees Health Association opens a new window, National Treasury Employees Union  opens a new window, National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association opens a new window, Bill Bransford Fund, Blacks In Government opens a new window, David O. “Doc” and Marion M. Cooke Memorial Fund, National Council of Social Security Management Associations opens a new window, National Federation of Federal Employees opens a new window, FEDS Protection, and Federal Managers Association opens a new window for helping make this program possible with their generous support.

SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS

ELIGIBILITY

FAQ

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

Scholarship Amounts: $1,000 to $5,000

Individuals Eligible for Scholarships:

Children, step-children, and legal dependents of full- or part-time permanent federal civilian or postal workers employed with the federal government for more than three years, as well as the employees themselves and their spouses. Some associations and unions partner with FEEA to provide specific scholarship programs for their employees, employees’ children, grandchildren, or spouses, or retirees’ children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren. FEEA uses a common application for all FEEA and co-sponsored scholarships. Please download the detailed scholarship application instructions for more information.

FAQ

  • Federal employees
  • Their children, step-children, and legal dependents
  • Their spouses

Whether the federal civilian or postal employee is the applicant or an applicant sponsor, they must be a full- or part-time permanent employee with at least three years of federal service.

Some associations and unions partner with FEEA to provide specific scholarship programs for their members, members’ children, grandchildren, or spouses, or retiree members’ children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren.

View our partner programs worksheet for the list of organizational sponsors and eligibility requirements.

Because FEEA’s scholarship program is only open to federal civilian and postal workers and their families, each applicant must either be a federal employee or have a parent/guardian or spouse who is a fed. The federal employee is the “sponsor” of the applicant and must provide an SF-50 or PSF-50 as proof of federal employment.

Yes, applicants can apply every year they meet the eligibility criteria, regardless of whether or not they won a scholarship in previous years.

  1. Copies of your most recent transcript/s and fall grades based on your current educational circumstances (high school student, continuing college student, graduate student). Do not send copies of your transcripts or have your school send copies directly to FEEA. All documents must be uploaded to the application by the student.
  2. A copy of your/your sponsor’s form SF-50 (Notice of Personnel Action). For postal employees, this is a PSF-50.
  3. If you are sponsored by a retired NARFE or AFGE member or by a non-federal BIG member, you are not required to provide an SF-50/PSF-50. If the NARFE or AFGE member is still an active federal employee, you must submit their SF-50/PSF-50.

Your transcript should be redacted before uploading to the WizeHive system. 

  • We need to see your name, your grades, list of classes, and GPA.
  • Things to redact: Your address, social security number, and birth date.

Your/your sponsor’s SF-50 should also have personal identifying information redacted.

  • We need to see the employee’s name, effective date on the SF-50, service comp date, and duty station. 
  • Things to redact: Salary, social security number, address, date of birth.

For more on redacting information including how to redact a document, check out our FAQ video.

Redaction is the process of selectively editing or removing sensitive or confidential information from a document to protect the privacy and security of individuals. This is typically done by blacking out or obscuring specific portions of text or images to prevent them from being visible to others.

For more on redacting information including how to redact a document, check out our FAQ video.

You can redact information using various methods, depending on your preference and the tools available to you. Here are two common ways to redact information:

Digital Redaction (using a computer):

Adobe Acrobat: If you have access to Adobe Acrobat or a similar PDF editing software, you can use the redaction tools provided. Here’s a general guide:

  • Open your document in Adobe Acrobat.
  • Select the “Redact” tool.
  • Highlight the text or areas you want to redact.
  • Confirm the redaction action, and the selected information will be permanently hidden.
  • Save the document with the redactions in place.

Scanner Apps: Some scanner apps and software also offer redaction features. You can scan the document and then use the app’s redaction tools to black out or obscure sensitive information.

Manual Redaction (using a black marker):

If you don’t have access to digital tools, you can manually redact information using a black marker and a scanner or photocopier.

Follow these steps:

  • Print a copy of the document you want to redact.
  • Carefully use a black marker to cover the sensitive information you wish to redact. Ensure that it’s fully covered, so it cannot be seen through the marker.
  • Once you’ve finished manually redacting the document, scan it.
  • The scanned version will have the sensitive information blacked out.

Remember to review the redacted document to ensure that the information you intended to hide is no longer visible. It’s important to take precautions to protect sensitive data, especially when sharing documents electronically or with others. Please also ensure that information meant to be visible is still available and legible. If any required information is not readable, your application will be disqualified.

For more on redacting information including how to redact a document, check out our FAQ video.

We expect all applicants to do their own work, including setting up the initial account in WizeHive. Setting up the account for your dependent can cause issues with the review process and might end up disqualifying the applicant.

Award winners will receive a large envelope via USPS to the home address listed on their application, as well as an email to the personal email address provided on their application. All applicants will be notified of their final status by mid-August through the email they used in their application. Please make sure to check your spam folder if you don’t see an email by August 15. The email will come from [email protected] with the subject line “FEEA Scholarship Application”.

Please make sure the email address you provide in your application is one you will continue to have access to through the summer.

Required Documents:

  • Complete high school or college transcripts (unofficial transcripts accepted)
  • An essay
  • A list of community service, awards, and extracurricular activities
  • A copy of federal employee sponsor’s current SF-50 (not required for retired NARFE members)

Special thanks for program support to:

Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Employee Programs
AFGE
GEHA logo - a stylized star with three stripes to the right and the letters G.E.H.A
Blacks in Government

The David O. “Doc” and Marion M. Cooke Memorial Fund

National Council of Social Security Management Association
National Federation of Federal Employees
Federal Managers Association
the FEDS logo including their URL www.fedsprotection.com

Please note our ability to give scholarships is subject to the availability of funding.
FEEA relies on donations by concerned individuals and institutions to support its work.