DEADLINE: April 30th by 4:30

Steve Rudman Opportunity Scholarship Application

DEADLINE:

April 30th by 4:30 p.m.

Scholarship Information

  • The scholarship is for study at any accredited post-secondary institution, including two and four year colleges and universities and vocational and technical schools.
  • The scholarship is for persons between 17 and 24 who will be full-time students entering or already enrolled in a post-secondary education program.
  • Final award is contingent on admission and paid to the school directly for a post-secondary education program for the school year starting in September 2025.

Learn More About The Fact and Tip Sheet

Application Requirements

  • Your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) must be enrolled in or have graduated from Home Forward’s GOALS program. In addition, they must currently reside in a Home Forward residence or a Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) participant in good standing.
  • If you are the head of household, are age 17-24 and meet the qualifications above, you also may apply.
  • If you are in high school, you must be in your senior year and have a 3.0 grade point average. If you are already in a post-secondary education program, you must have a 2.75 grade point average as applicable.
  • If you did not graduate from high school, you must have completed a GED program.
  • You must write an essay about your educational goals and provide two community or school references.

APPLICATIONS DUE: April 30th

DEADLINE: April 30th by 4:30

Application Process

April 30th, 2025Applications are due 04/30 by 4:30pm p.m. to Shaun Cox at
shaun.cox@homeforward.org or Home Forward,
135 SW Ash St., Portland, OR 97204
May 05 to May 09, 2025Selection Committee reviews applications and chooses recipients.
May 15, 2025Scholarship recipients notified.
Important!

recommendation letter template

Please download this recommendation letter template before submitting your scholarship application. Ensure your recommendation letter follows this structure and includes your information before uploading.

Download Here

Online Application

Applicant Profile Information

Applicant Name(Required)
MM slash DD slash YYYY
Address(Required)

Parent/Legal Guardian Information

Name(Required)
Address(Required)

Post-Secondary Education Information

Applicant Name(Required)

Post-Secondary School Cost Information

List schools you have applied to or plan to apply to. Upload additional sheets for more schools. Please include a print out from each school verifying the amounts below. If you are already in a post-secondary education program, fill out the information for your school.
Address(Required)
Costs Per Year(Required)
Tuition $
Fees $
Room and Board $
Incidental Expenses (books and supplies) $
Total $
 
Drop files here or
Max. file size: 80 MB.

    2nd School Information

    Address(Required)
    Costs Per Year(Required)
    Tuition $
    Fees $
    Room and Board $
    Incidental Expenses (books and supplies) $
    Total $
     
    Drop files here or
    Max. file size: 80 MB.

      3rd School Information

      Costs Per Year(Required)
      Tuition $
      Fees $
      Room and Board $
      Incidental Expenses (books and supplies) $
      Total $
       
      Drop files here or
      Max. file size: 80 MB.

        Activities and Interests

        Helping Activities(Required)
        Examples: babysitting, volunteer work, participation in community organizations. (Click + to add more rows)
        Organization
        Start/End Dates
        Role/Responsibilities
         
        School Involvement(Required)
        Examples: school government, clubs, sports, newspaper (Click + to add more rows)
        Organization
        Start/End Dates
        Role/Responsibilities
         
        (please feel free to tell us about any other activities that don’t fall into the categories above.)
        Drop files here or
        Max. file size: 80 MB.

          Essay. Please complete an essay based on the question below

          Your essay must be a minimum of 250 words. All essays must be typed.
          Pick an experience from your own life and describe how it has influenced your chosen field of study and/or your future goals.
          Drop files here or
          Max. file size: 80 MB.

            GED or High School transcript | Letters of recommendation

            Drop files here or
            Max. file size: 80 MB.
              Drop files here or
              Max. file size: 80 MB.

                Statement of Willingness to Participate in Worth It Communications

                Acknowledgement Statement(Required)
                MM slash DD slash YYYY
                MM slash DD slash YYYY
                Acknowledgement Statement(Required)
                MM slash DD slash YYYY
                MM slash DD slash YYYY
                This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
                Steve Rudman Opportunity Scholarship

                Fact and Tip Sheet

                Scholarship Details

                • Youth between 17-24 may apply if their family participates in or has graduated from the agency’s GOALS self-sufficiency program and is in good standing with Home Forward.
                • The $2,500 award is for the school year or term that begins in September 2025.
                • The recipient may renew the scholarship for a second year for up to the same amount, if eligibility requirements are maintained.
                • The scholarship can be used for post-secondary education at accredited two- and four-year colleges and universities and trade and vocational schools.
                • Home Forward staff are not eligible for the scholarship.

                Selection Process

                • The recipient will be chosen by a committee comprised of Steve Rudman, a post-secondary academic leader, two Home Forward commissioners, and the Home Forward staff person responsible for education initiatives.
                • The committee will consider academic achievement, leadership, participation in activities helpful to others, and post-secondary education goals.

                Tips
                1. After submitting all the pieces of your application, check in with Home Forward to make sure that all of your documents have arrived. Contact Shaun Cox at shaun.cox@homeforward.org.
                2. If you complete your application online, do not forget to attach 2 recommendation letters and school transcripts.
                3. Ask for your transcripts right away. It can take some schools a month to be able to get your transcripts in the mail, so give yourself plenty of time.
                4. Utilize your family’s GOALS case manager for support as needed.
                5. If your GPA is lower than the criteria threshold (3.0 for high school students and 2.75 for college students), you can obtain a letter from a school counselor or your GOALS coordinator explaining why your application should be considered.

                Bring Your Application To:
                135 SW Ash St., Portland, OR 97204

                Download Application Here
                Descargar en español

                APPLICATIONS DUE April 30th by 4:30pm