Otis Smith Scholarship Grant

Otis Smith Scholarship Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
Amount: Up to US $3,000
Last Updated: January 19, 2026

Summary

The Otis Smith Scholarship, funded by the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, provides non-renewable scholarships of up to $3,000 for single parent mothers pursuing post-secondary education at accredited institutions. Established to honor Otis M. Smith's mother, the program aims to empower women in southeastern Michigan, particularly those demonstrating financial need and strong academic potential. Applications are open until February 12, 2025, and recipients may use funds for tuition or educational expenses.

Overview

Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan was established in 1984 to ensure residents in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, Washtenaw, Livingston and St. Clair counties can thrive. Since then, we have grown to be among the top 25 community foundations in the United States. We’ve distributed more than $1.4 billion through more than 85,000 grants to nonprofits in fields as diverse as arts, children and youth, economic stability, health and human services, and the environment. We convene partners to solve regional challenges and serve as a trusted philanthropic advisor for donors who want to do good. Otis Smith Scholarship The purpose of the Otis M. Smith Scholarship Program is to provide scholarships to selected single parent mothers to assist them in obtaining post-secondary education at selected accredited institutions. Non-renewable scholarships of up to $3,000 will be made with assistance of advisors to the Otis M. Smith Scholarship Program, including Otis Smith’s brother. While scholarships are not renewable, prior recipients are eligible to apply. Payments may be applied to tuition and fees, or miscellaneous educational expenses as designated by the recipient. Background The Otis M. Smith Scholarship Program was established by Mr. Otis M. Smith to honor the memory of his mother who, as a single parent, encouraged and supported her children to attain post-secondary education. Mr. Smith worked at many odd jobs as a youth after his father died when he was age 11. He attended Fisk University and received a law degree from Catholic University. He served as Auditor General and Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of Michigan. He was Vice President and General Counsel of General Motors and upon retirement, served as ‘of counsel’ to the law firm of Lewis, Clay & Munday. Although a modest man throughout his life, he was a leader and role model and active volunteer serving on numerous local and national board.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. In order to be eligible, applicants must be current residents of any of the following counties of southeastern Michigan: Wayne, Oakland or Macomb. Applicants must be pursuing post-secondary education at the Columbus College of Law at Catholic University of America, any campus of the University of Michigan or any campus of Wayne State University. Applicants must also be single parent mothers.A single parent mother is a person who is either divorced or unmarried mother who is still parenting a child or children. An applicant must be pursuing post-secondary education at the Columbus College of Law at Catholic University of America, any campus of the University of Michigan (any degree) or any campus leading to any degree at Wayne State University. Priority will be given to full-time students, but applicants enrolled on at least a half-time basis can be considered for a full award. The “full-time” definition used by the applicable university will be used to determine eligibility.Applicants must demonstrate financial need by the completion of the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Financial Aid) online at www.fafsa.gov. A copy of the online FAFSA application must be submitted to the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan to determine the financial need of the applicant. The online application will prompt you to do upload this as part of the application process.Demonstrate efforts to contribute to household and educational expenses through employment or strong effort to gain employment.Have exemplary character, leadership and a manifest desire to achieve significant education beyond high school.Demonstrate academic ability to successfully complete post-secondary education.All awards will be made without regard to race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or sexual identification. Special attention will be given to minority applicants consistent with the intent and expressed wishes of the donor and applicable state and Federal laws bearing in mind that the donor’s mother was the inspiration for establishing the program.Indication that the Otis M. Smith Scholarship is important for continued pursuit of education.

Ineligibility

Employees of the Foundation and the high schools listed, members of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation, and their dependents, members of the selection committee and their dependents are ineligible for scholarship consideration.