Announcing An Exciting Update to the NFB 2025 Scholarship Program

by Cayte Mendez

From the Editor: Everybody loves money and loves the spirit of those who get it through our competitive scholarship program. Our extraordinary chairperson has once again fulfilled her duty to give us advance warning of what is to come, but this is your warning to start preparing and filing. Be sure to see the changes noted below, for this set of scholarships may apply to you.

The National Federation of the Blind is pleased to announce our 2025 scholarship program. We offer eight thousand dollar scholarships to thirty blind students who will be at least eighteen years of age by July 8, 2025. Students may apply if they reside in the fifty states, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico and will be enrolled in a full-time accredited post-secondary degree program during the 2025-2026 school year.

Traditionally, each year, one of our scholarships has been made available to an otherwise qualified applicant who is attending school part-time and simultaneously working full-time. Beginning in 2025, the National Federation of the Blind may award up to five scholarships annually to applicants enrolled part-time who meet all other eligibility requirements. Additionally, we recognize that along with employment, family caregiving, and ongoing medical care, concurrently with post-secondary enrollment can contribute to a need for students to carry a part-time courseload. Our application has been revised in order to provide an opportunity for students who will be enrolled part-time in the fall to share additional information with the committee.  

All scholarships will be awarded at our 2025 National Convention, which will take place in New Orleans, Louisiana, from July 8 to 13.

The application period begins December 1, 2024, and closes at midnight EST on March 31, 2025. Go to www.nfb.org/scholarships. To apply during the four-month open period: read the rules and the submission checklist, complete the official 2025 scholarship application form, supply all required documents, and request and complete an interview with an NFB affiliate president. Remember, the only way to win is to apply!