The Hope Scholarships

Every child deserves the chance for a bright future, and education is one vital way to increase opportunity. According to the most recent research, only about 26% of youth in foster care who finish high school will attend college. And less than 3% of youth in foster care will graduate from college. The Comfort Cases community is committed to changing these statistics. Through our scholarship program we aim to support youth as they navigate the challenges of college or trade school exploration, application, and development.

About the Scholarship

In 2015, Comfort Cases began awarding scholarships to support youth in foster care attending college or trade school. For the 2025-2026 school year, supporters of the Comfort Cases Scholarship Program provide financial assistance to graduating high school seniors or current college students enrolled in an accredited undergraduate program or trade school program in the Fall of 2025. Education opens doors to better opportunities, and every child deserves the chance for a bright future.

“The Comfort Cases Scholarship to me, means that whether near or far, I have an entire community out there willing to invest in my success. That there are strangers who want my prosperity as much as I do.”

2023 Scholarship Winner

Award Criteria

The Comfort Cases Scholarship Award Committee will evaluate each submission from applicants based on:

Leadership Potential and Personal Characteristics
Academic Interests
Expressed Financial & Emotional Support Need

Applicant MUST be:

- A graduating high school senior or current higher education student
- Currently or aged out of the Foster Care system
- Applicants must have been in the Foster Care system for 36 months or more
- A resident of the United States
- Planning to attend a full or part-time accredited undergraduate program or trade school program in the Fall of 2025
- Applicants cannot be awarded a scholarship more than once

Have any questions?

Timeline:

Application Due Date: July 31, 2025
Scholarship Awards Announced to Awardees: TBA

October 11, 2025

The recipients of this year’s scholarship awards will be recognized at our 12th Annual Comfort Cases Gala October 11, 2025 at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, MD.

Please complete the following form to apply.

2025 Hope Scholarship Application

Name(Required)

First Last

Address(Required)

Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country

Phone(Required)

Email(Required)

Birthday(Required)

Ethnicity (optional)

What year did you enter foster care?(Required)

Are you currently in foster care?(Required)

Yes

If no, what year did you exit foster care?

Are You a United States Citizen?

Yes

What are your preferred pronouns?

Current School You Are Attending(Required)

School You Will Be Attending Fall 2025(Required)

What are your interests?(Required)

Include activities, hobbies, and/or sports. Please also describe any work experiences you have had, and any leadership experiences.

Choose three careers you'd like to learn more about, use www.bls.gov/oco to research them. Tell us 3 things you learned about each career. Do these careers feel like a good fit for you? Why or why not?(Required)

How Would Receiving a Comfort Cases Scholarship Impact Your Life? (500 words or less)(Required)

Describe a time you have faced a really difficult situation. First, tell us what happened and then describe how you handled it. What qualities or skills allowed you to manage the situation?(Required)

Additional Submission Materials(Required)

In addition to the completed 2025 Comfort Cases Scholarship Application (including the short essay), the following optional materials may be submitted:
1. 1. Letter of acceptance from educational program director.
2. High School transcript or existing College/Trade School transcript
3. Proof of Foster Care status (currently in program or formerly in program)
You can upload to Dropbox, Google Drive, or another file sharing platform and link below.

Additional Materials (Optional)

Max. file size: 300 MB.

In addition to the completed 2025 Comfort Cases Scholarship Application, the following optional materials may be submitted: Letter(s) of recommendation from a social worker or community leader.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Cardboard Box with Hearts coming out of it

Hope Boxes

A component of the Comfort Cases Scholarship Program is to provide monthly Hope Boxes to each Scholarship recipient. A Hope Box is a care package sent as a form of encouragement packed with essentials, treats and a gift card to support students in their new chapter.

Learn More