To be eligible for the Richmond Promise Scholarship, you must:

1. Be a resident of the City of Richmond or North Richmond (i.e. have a Richmond home address)
2. Graduate or have graduated from an eligible high school within the West Contra Costa Unified School District boundary area or received your GED/high school equivalency this academic year, last academic year or the year prior*
3. Have attended an eligible high school at least 9th-12th grade consecutively
4. Complete the FAFSA/Dream Act by the March 2 Cal Grant deadline (unless not AB 540 eligible)
5. Submit a Richmond Promise Scholarship application by the application deadline

Additionally:

• Students can apply for the scholarship up to two years after obtaining their high school diploma/equivalency and up to the age of 24 as of the deadline in the year a student applies to the scholarship
• Students who pursue military service must apply within two years of high school graduation or receiving their equivalency but are exempt from the 24-year age limit. Students who pursue military service may defer their scholarship for up to 8 years as long as proof of service is provided.

Public, private, and charter schools within the West Contra boundary area are eligible. Find a list of eligible high schools here.

The scholarship award amount is $1,500 annually for 4 years ($6,000 total). It is possible to petition for up to 2 more years of scholarship funding ($3,000 total) if needed. 

All funding must be used within 6 years.

If you have extenuating and unique circumstances, such as having moved or changed schools many times due to being in foster care or homeless, we encourage you to complete a Richmond Promise Scholarship application. You will be required to also complete an Appeal Form, which will be reviewed by the Richmond Promise Appeals Committee. We strongly recommend that you contact us to find out more about whether you should complete an appeal.

Yes! The scholarship is available to any Richmond resident who graduated from an eligible school. AB 540 eligible students will need to complete the California Dream Act application by the Cal Grant deadline to qualify for the Richmond Promise Scholarship.

If you are not AB540 eligible and are undocumented, you can still complete a Richmond Promise Scholarship application. You may be required to also complete an Appeal Form to explain your extenuating circumstances, which will be reviewed by the Richmond Promise Appeals Committee. We strongly recommend that you contact us to find out more about whether you should complete an appeal. Not sure if you’re AB540 eligible? Learn more here.

You can use your Richmond Promise Scholarship at any accredited, not for profit 2-year or 4-year college/university, or Career and Technical Education (CTE) program in the United States. You may not use the scholarship at for-profit institutions.

Non-profit schools typically invest their revenue back into the school and provide broader student services, whereas for-profit schools are more accountable to shareholders. Additionally, the credits earned at a for-profit school may not be regionally accredited, meaning they cannot be transferred over to other regionally accredited schools.

We cannot send the Richmond Promise Scholarship to for profit colleges. Exception: Kaiser School of Allied Health

Not sure if the school you’re looking at is not-for-profit? You can look up its status here: https://collegesearch.collegeboard.org/home

[1] NACAC https://www.nacacnet.org/globalassets/documents/publications/forprofit.pdf

No! The Richmond Promise Scholarship is renewable for up to a total of four years for all students. If needed, students also have the opportunity to petition for up to two more years of funding to complete their educational goal.

Students have up to six years to use four years’ worth of scholarship funds (eight semesters or 12 quarters).

We understand the variability of life circumstances that may cause a student to have to take a term or year off from school. Richmond Promise Scholarship recipients may take up to two academic years (or four semesters/six quarters consecutively) off from school and continue to receive their scholarship when they return. Please contact us at scholarships@richmondpromise.org if you believe you will need to take time off.

Additionally, students who did not apply for the Richmond Promise Scholarship the year they graduated from high school or completed their GED/high school equivalency may apply for the scholarship up to two years after completion of either. New scholarship applicants must be under the age of 24 when they apply (unless they are/were in the military).

Yes! Richmond Promise will happily transfer your scholarship between eligible schools and actively encourage people to transfer from two to four-year schools if that is part of your educational goal. Please meet with your community college counselor as soon as possible to create a transfer plan.

You should apply for the Richmond Promise Scholarship your senior year of high school or the year you are planning on completing your GED/high school equivalency. You may also apply up to two years after completing high school or a GED/high school equivalency program up to the age of 24 years old (unless you are/were in the military).

Remember you must complete your FAFSA or California Dream Act Application by the Cal Grant Deadline to apply for the Richmond Promise Scholarship.

The application opens in early October and closes in early March every year (NOTE: Due to changes to the FAFSA/CA Dream Act Application process, the application for the 2024-25 school year opens December 31, 2023).

You can find this year’s application deadline here. Late applications will not be accepted.

For assistance with your application, please utilize your school’s college and career center, or see if we have a workshop coming up.

1. Email: You will need an email address to create an account for the online application
2. SAR: You must upload your SAR or CalSAR as a .pdf file. You receive your SAR or CalSAR after completing the FAFSA or Dream Act.*
3. *Remember: You must complete your FAFSA/Dream Act application by March 2 (or noted deadline) each year as a requirement for the Richmond Promise Scholarship unless you are ineligible to complete either financial aid application (i.e. not AB 540 eligible).

The FAFSA and the CA Dream Act application provide government financial aid to California residents. It is necessary that you apply by March 2 so you receive the maximum amount of financial support to make completing college as affordable as possible. If you are not eligible to complete the FAFSA or Dream Act (not AB 540 eligible), you will be exempt from this requirement.

Reminder: You complete either the FAFSA OR the Dream Act, not both, depending on your citizenship status.

You should complete the FAFSA if you are one of the following:

• United States citizen
• United States permanent resident with a Permanent Resident Card (Alien Registration Receipt Card, or “Green Card”)
• Conditional permanent resident (1-551C)
• Other eligible noncitizens with an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from the Department of Homeland Security showing any one of the following designations: “Refugee,” “Asylum Granted,” “Indefinite Parole,” “Humanitarian Parole,” or “Cuban-Haitian Entrant”

You should complete the Dream Act if one of the following applies to you:

• AB 540 or AB 2000 eligible student (Learn if you are AB 540 eligible here)
• Reside in California with a U-Visa
• Reside in California with a Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
• You have a DACA Social Security Number

Reminder: You complete either the FAFSA OR the Dream Act, not both, depending on your citizenship status.

No, you do not! You should use your and/or your parent’s taxes and income information from two years ago to complete your FAFSA or Dream Act. 

FAFSA ONLY: If you can, we recommend you use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to quickly and accurately input you and your parents’/guardians’ income information.

Still confused about which year’s taxes to use? If you are applying for financial aid for the 2024-25 academic year, you would use taxes from 2022.

You will be notified via email in early May if you are a recipient of the Richmond Promise Scholarship.

• See if we have an upcoming financial aid/scholarship application workshop.
• Go to the Student Resources section of our website for a growing list of resources to help you find more scholarships, complete financial aid applications, access support on college applications, etc.
• Schedule an appointment to meet with our College Access team during their office hours.
• Send us an email – scholarships@richmondpromise.org.

You can get free tax support at many local community sites. Visit Earn It! Keep It! Save It! to find free tax assistance near you! When you are going to get your taxes prepared, be sure to bring with you the following:

1. Photo identification (for you and your spouse, if filing jointly)
2. Social Security card or ITIN for each family member
3. W-2 forms for all jobs held in previous year
4. All 1099, 1098, or other tax forms
5. Savings and checking account and routing numbers for Tax Refund Direct Deposit
6. Prior year’s tax return
7. Your household’s health coverage information (1095-A if bought through Covered CA).

In order to receive your Richmond Promise Scholarship, you will need to take part in our summer transition programming, which includes:

1. RP 101 workshop
2. Scholarship Acceptance/Enrollment Information (known as Required Documents)
3.  2 topic workshops, and
4. A peer counseling appointment

If you are unable to attend a workshop, you must let Richmond Promise know at scholarships@richmondpromise.org.

Once you claim your scholarship and supply your proof of enrollment, your scholarship will be received by your college – usually at the beginning of the academic year. We will send a confirmation email/text to you once your check is sent. The amount of time it takes for colleges to process the award and apply it to your financial aid package varies, so we cannot guarantee a specific day that the money will be made available to you.

No. The Richmond Promise scholarship sent directly to your college. First the scholarship will be applied to your tuition, other school fees, or loans. If there is any extra award left over, it may* be given to you by your school in the form of a check or directly sent to your bank account if you set up electronic funds transfer (EFT) with your school.

*NOTE: Whether you receive the balance depends entirely on your school. Check with your college’s financial aid office or their website about their specific policies pertaining to “excess funding.”

No. For all scholarship recipients, your scholarship will be equally divided between your school’s two semesters or three quarters (fall/spring, or fall/winter/spring).

If you attend Contra Costa College, Diablo Valley College, Los Medanos College, Berkeley City College, Laney College or College of Marin, half of your annual scholarship amount will be sent out each term after we verify enrollment with the financial aid offices at each of these campuses. Enrollment verification starts after your school’s add/drop deadline:

• Fall Term – First week of September (usually around Labor Day)
• Spring Term – First week of February

The scholarship may be used for the total cost of attendance as defined and calculated by the college and university you attend, which includes: tuition and fees, books, supplies, food and housing, transportation, and other education-related expenses.

If funds are still available after being applied to your tuition, other school fees or loans, any extra amount may be given to you in a check from your school for books, school supplies, food and housing, transportation, or other education-related expenses.

*REMINDER: Whether you receive the “extra amount” depends entirely on your school. Check with your college’s financial aid office or their website about their specific policies about “excess funding.”

We understand that situations may come up that prevent you from attending school in the fall as you may have initially planned; however, if you need extra support getting to school in the fall, please contact us at scholarships@richmondpromise.org or (510) 230-0422.

If you still cannot attend school this fall, no worries – you can begin receiving your Richmond Promise Scholarship either in the spring or the following fall after you were awarded the scholarship. 

Whether you plan to enroll or not, make sure to claim your scholarship and then renew it each year! You will risk losing your scholarship if you do not renew your scholarship for two consecutive years.

Congrats on getting to college! We are here to help encourage you to take advantage of the college experience and be as successful as possible. That’s why in order to remain eligible for renewal of the Richmond Promise scholarship you must:

1. Enroll full-time (12 or more units) at an accredited, not for profit 2-year or 4-year college or university, or CTE program each term, unless you have a registered disability or are a custodial parent
2. Maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA
3. Complete your FAFSA/Dream Act each year by the March 2 Cal Grant deadline
4. Renew your Richmond Promise Scholarship each year by the established deadline
5. [Strongly recommended] Participate in an academic support program (e.g. EOP, EOPS, Puente, Umoja)

You will be notified via email in May during each year of college about how, when and where to renew your Richmond Promise Scholarship. 

The renewal application will remain open until April of the following year (approx 11 months) and can be submitted at any time. However, to give the team time to review the applications before scholarship disbursement, there will be submission deadlines for each term.

• Fall term: July 14
• Winter/Spring: December 31

Again, renewal applications received after July 14 will not be eligible for fall disbursement, but will be eligible for the winter (quarter system schools) and/or spring terms (semester).

To remain eligible for the Richmond Promise scholarship, each year of college you must:

1. Enroll full-time (12 or more units) at an accredited, not for profit 2-year or 4-year college or university, or CTE program in the United States*, unless you have a registered disability or are a custodial parent
2. Maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA
3. Complete your FAFSA/Dream Act each year by the March 2 Cal Grant deadline (if eligible)
4. Renew your Richmond Promise Scholarship each year by the established deadline
5. If recommended, participate in an academic support program (e.g. EOP, EOPS, Puente, Umoja)

*NOTE: Study abroad coursework sponsored by a US college or university IS eligible if the scholarship is received and processed by a domestic campus.

If you do not meet one of the above eligibility requirements, you should still complete the renewal application by the deadline! You will be required to complete an Appeal Form as a part of your application. The form will be built into the renewal application. Richmond Promise staff will review your appeal to decide whether to grant you an exception to continue receiving your scholarship that year.

If you miss the summer deadline (July 14), will not receive your scholarship for the upcoming fall semester. You can still complete your application up until the winter deadline (December 31) and may be eligible for your scholarship the next term.

If you miss both disbursement deadlines, you will not receive your scholarship for the academic year. However, since you cannot fail to renew your scholarship for more than 2 consecutive years, you can still complete a renewal application until April before the next renewal cycle begins.

It is important to check your email for updates (including your spam/junk folder) and we recommend opting in to receive SMS updates from the team as well! 

Did you change your contact information? Email us at scholarships@richmondpromise.org with your correct contact information and we’ll update our records.

In order to complete a renewal Richmond Promise application, you will need:

1. Proof of Enrollment: Upload a screenshot of your class schedule for the upcoming term. It does not need to be finalized, but if possible, it should clearly show your name, student ID# and/or the name of your school.
2. Unofficial Transcript: You can find this in your student portal. It will have your academic record from every term you have been at your school, as well as your cumulative GPA and credits earned.
3. FAFSA Student Aid Report (SAR) or CA Dream Act Application Student Aid Report (CalSAR): You must upload your SAR or CalSAR as a .pdf file. You receive your SAR or CalSAR after completing the FAFSA or Dream Act.*

*Remember: You must complete your FAFSA/Dream Act application by March 2 each year as a requirement for the Richmond Promise Scholarship unless you are ineligible to complete either financial aid application (i.e. not AB 540 eligible – learn more here).

For requirements to remain eligible for the Richmond Promise scholarship see above: What do I need to do to remain eligible for the Richmond Promise Scholarship?

The Richmond Promise Team will review your application and let you know once it has been processed. In this time period, we will also request any incorrectly submitted or missing documents from you. The scholarship payment process will follow the same timing as the previous year it was awarded to you.