Grand Haven Area Community Foundation is a charitable body that unites with many donors who have created Scholarship Funds to support students in our community.

“We are very, very fortunate in our community to have extremely generous donors who have chosen to create scholarships specifically for residents in the Tri-Cities,” team member in charge of Scholarships Kim McLaughlin said.

The first step to take before entering college is applying. The first step to take when looking for financial aid is applying for scholarships.

“When applying, students only complete one application though,” McLaughlin said. “They do not apply for a specific scholarship.  Once they apply, they will be considered for all those that they are eligible for.”

Most people apply for the most they can get in order to benefit you in the end. The goal is to graduate college without having to pay massive amounts of debt.

According to McLaughlin, the application closes at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2, 2016. Students should start the application soon and be sure to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) before this deadline because they will need to submit a copy of their SAR (Student Aid Report) from the FAFSA.  There is a free assistance event to fill out your FAFSA on Sunday, Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. at GHHS.

Scholarships offers vary and there are many options.

“We offer a wide variety of scholarships for students interested in business to education, for those involved with sports to those who are the first in their family to attend college,” McLaughlin said.