Harry W. Clarke Memorial Scholarship Programs – William A. Hart Award Grant

Harry W. Clarke Memorial Scholarship Programs – William A. Hart Award Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina
Amount: US $1,000
Last Updated: December 11, 2025

Summary

The Harry W. Clarke Memorial Scholarship Programs, established by friends to honor Harry Clarke's commitment to education, offers renewable scholarships for graduating seniors from public high schools in 29 westernmost counties of North Carolina. This initiative promotes access to accredited two-year community colleges for students, including those from specific academies and home schools. The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, established in 1978, manages substantial assets to support educational opportunities and charitable endeavors in the region.

Overview

About the Foundation The Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1978 to build a permanent pool of charitable capital for the 18 counties of Western North Carolina including the Qualla Boundary. We work with individuals, families and corporations to create and manage charitable funds and make grants to nonprofits or public agencies in our region. In partnership with fundholders, the Foundation has awarded more than $456 million in scholarships to students and grants to nonprofit organizations and public institutions across our 18-county region and beyond. We manage $481 million (June 2025) in assets with a long-term investment strategy that permanently protects and grows these funds. Harry W. Clarke Memorial Scholarship Programs – William A. Hart Award The Harry W. Clarke Scholarship Programs, established by longtime friends and associates to honor the life of Harry Wilson Clarke, commemorate his commitment to educational opportunities for young people in Western North Carolina. Harry Clarke died in an aircraft accident in 1987. At the time of his death, Mr. Clarke was in his twenty-fifth year as President and twenty-eighth year as a leader of Western Carolina Industries, Inc. Under his leadership, WCI grew from a six county area to twenty-nine with some 600 companies in membership. Mr. Clarke is noted for bringing the Western North Carolina region into the Modern Industrial Era. Harry Clarke in his quiet, effective way prodded both schools and employees to do a better job of serving the needs of students, and he helped companies to become involved in local education, all to the mutual benefit of schools and the business community.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. This scholarship, renewable for one additional year, may be awarded to graduating seniors from any public high school in the 29 westernmost counties (Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yancey, and including the Qualla Boundary) to attend an NC two-year community college. Students with permanent homes with the 29-county WNC region who attend the NC School of Science and Mathematics, the UNC School of the Arts High School, or a home school registered with the NC Department of Non-Public Education may apply if they will attend an accredited NC two-year community college.