After a parent dies, many families may lose the ability to afford continuing their education in the same setting. We help children with scholarship grants to help them pay for the education they deserve and minimize the added burden and sadness of having to leave a school with familiar and supportive teachers and friends. If you know of a bereaved child or teen who is deserving of an education scholarship grant, click here for criteria and an application.

A Caring Hand Granting Procedures and Guidelines (Revised 12/14/07)

1. Grant Target Population: A child/adolescent/young adult who experienced loss of a parent or legal guardian and demonstrates financial need for an education program.
2. Grant amount awarded to applicants: The amount of funds granted to each child will be determined by the granting sub-committee on a case-by-case basis.  The granting subcommittee will review applications annually and assess the individual needs of each family.  Grant amounts will not exceed $10,000 per child/ per year.  A grant recipient can reapply for a grant each year but there is no guarantee that he/she will continue to receive a grant.  Decisions are based on financial need relative to the other applicants in a given year. 
3. Application process:
   1. Applicants complete the entire application (hard copy or online) and provide all supporting documents (i.e. Death certificate, tax return, school invoice) no later than May 1. 
   2. The granting sub-committee will review all applications and make final granting decisions by July 15 to be presented at the July board meeting. 
   3. The board will vote on each grant recipient proposed by the granting sub-committee.
   4. Grants will be sent to educational institutions through the month of August (pending a tuition invoice which must be furnished to ACH) for the upcoming academic year. 
   5. In accordance with the BEF 501c3 guidelines, grants will be sent to educational institutions directly, rather than to individual families.
   6. Previous grant recipients who wish to request another grant must re-apply by completing the entire application with supporting documentation and must have maintained at least a 3.0 GPA the previous year (except in unusual circumstances which must be explained in writing and will be reviewed by the granting sub-committee).
4. A Completed Application includes the following:

• Applicant’s most recent tax return (if applicant is applying for college funding)
• Applicant’s parent(s) most recent tax return

     - if tax returns cannot be furnished, applicant must include an explanation for the reason

• Applicant’s most recent report card (if applicant is applying for educational funding)
• Death Certificate of deceased parent
• Invoice from educational institution (if applicant is applying for educational funding)

    - grants will not be paid out until an invoice has been received