National Cyber Scholarship Program (General)
Funding Amount
$2,000,000+ in scholarships; $13,800,000 in training
Deadline
Deadline not published
Grant Type
Foundation
Deadline history & next window
- Cycle
- Annual
- Tracked since
- April 2026
Source: the cycle recorded on this listing. Confirm dates with the funder.
Can we apply?
Check your organization against each line. Taken from the listing; confirm with the funder's guidelines.
Eligible organizations
- High school students (11th-12th grade for scholarship eligibility)
- College students
- U.S. citizens/students attending U.S. colleges
Overview
National Cyber Scholarship Program
The National Cyber Scholarship program empowers America's future Cyber Stars by awarding more than $2 million in scholarships and $13.8 million in cybersecurity training to high school and college students. This is a comprehensive initiative to identify and develop talent in cybersecurity careers and close the critical skills gap in the cybersecurity industry.
Mission: Help the United States close its critical cybersecurity skills gap by identifying and developing extraordinary cybersecurity talent with advanced training.
Geographic Scope: United States (national)
Focus Areas:
- Cybersecurity talent identification and development
- Youth pipeline building for cybersecurity careers
- Free intensive training in cybersecurity fundamentals
- Financial support for cybersecurity education
Eligibility:
- High school students (11th-12th grade for scholarship eligibility)
- College students
- U.S. citizens/students attending U.S. colleges
Program Components:
The program includes three integrated pathways:
- Identifying Aptitude: CyberStart America (high school) and Cyber FastTrack (college) for discovering hidden talent
- Nurturing Potential: Free intensive training via SANS Institute (partner)
- Empowering Excellence: Financial scholarships for top performers
Award Tiers (2021 structure):
- Scholar with Honors: Top 30 students nationwide, $3,000 college scholarship each
- Scholar: Top 540 eligible students, $2,500 college scholarship each
- Finalist: Top 862 students, free access to Cyber Foundations Academy
- Semifinalist: 5,117+ students who met qualification criteria
Award Details:
- Scholarships can be used at U.S. colleges of student's choice
- Training includes free access to SANS certification courses
- All awards include support, mentoring, and career guidance
Organization: National Cyber Scholarship Foundation (NCSF), 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit, Texas, US
Partners:
- SANS Institute (world-class cybersecurity training)
- CYBER.ORG
- iKeepSafe (FERPA privacy certified program)
- Center for Internet Security
- Cyber Talent Institute
Related Information:
- College credit available for NCSF scholarships at participating institutions
- FERPA privacy certified for CyberStart America
- Integrated pathway approach: CyberStart America → National Cyber Scholarship Competition → Cyber Foundations Academy
What National Cyber Scholarship Foundation actually gave
Source: IRS Form 990, 2023 — the most recent filing with itemized grants
- Grants in 2023
- 2
- Total given
- $205K
- Median grant
- $103K
- Range
- $100K–$105K
- By dollars: Georgia 51%, Colorado 49%. Top recipient cities: Oakwood, GA; Lafayette, CO.
Example grants
University of No GA · Oakwood, GA
Prizes/awards
$105K
Last Mile Education Fund · Lafayette, CO
Prizes/awards
$100K
Focus Areas & Funding Uses
Fields of Work
- Education
- STEM education
- Youth programs
- Workforce development
Categories
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