Welcome Back Scholarship Program Grant

The Welcome Back Scholarship Program, initiated by The Community Foundation for Crawford County, aims to retain college graduates by providing financial support to those who return home and contribute to their community. This reverse scholarship targets graduates with student debt, incentivizing them to live and work in Crawford County after completing their education. By addressing the challenges of talent retention, the program fosters local economic growth and encourages graduates to reinvest in their hometown, creating a positive cycle of community development.

The Community Foundation for Crawford County
The Community Foundation for Crawford County is a permanent, tax-exempt, public charitable foundation established to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Crawford County. Started with the help of The Timken Foundation in 1984, it is a vehicle by which individuals, group and corporations may channel contributions to the community.
Many communities in the Midwest are struggling to retain college graduates and lose out on their talents toward economic growth and prosperity. That is why The Community Foundation for Crawford County has implemented this reverse scholarship program to encourage those who have returned to Crawford County to continue contributing to their hometown community.
Traditional scholarships are awarded and paid on the “front end” of a student’s career. At that time, there are no guarantees the students will complete studies in their chosen field, graduate from college or return back to their communities to help contribute to growth and prosperity.
The Welcome Back Scholarship is essentially a talent retention program and would pay students on the back-end of their college career, after they have completed a degree or qualified skilled trades program, but only if they have moved back home and live and work in Crawford County.
We anticipate this Welcome Back Scholarship award will appeal to young college graduates in their late twenties who still have some student debt and are weighing the options for returning home versus remaining in their current community.
Use of Funds: Award funds must be used to pay off student debt.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants would be limited to recent graduates with the following criteria:

• Graduated with an appropriate degree (2 year, 4 year, advanced, or trade school certificate) and still has student debt

Length of Stay: There is no mandatory length of stay. However, if an award recipient moves out of the county during the award program cycle, they would forfeit all future award monies not yet paid.
Expectations: Award recipients will be expected to live and work in Crawford County in order to be eligible for this funding. They must secure a job or create their own business within 120 days of receiving the award.