Official sources checked October 13, 2026. Open and closed statuses below describe that research date, not a promise of future availability. Closed programs are included for planning, not as applications you can submit today.
Compare verified scholarships
Current competitions
| Scholarship and official provider | Award | Key fit and eligibility | Application timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ron Brown Signature Scholarship — Ron Brown Scholar Program | $40,000 over four years; $10,000 annually | Black/African American-specific. Current high school seniors; U.S. citizens or permanent residents; financial need, academic achievement, leadership, and service | Official page says the 2027 competition is open. It lists December 1 for applications and December 15 for supporting documents; confirm the calendar year and cutoff time in the portal |
| Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship | Dollar amount not stated on the current application page; support is disbursed over four years | Broader award: current published criteria do not list a racial restriction. U.S. citizens graduating high school, financial need, leadership/service, and an approved four-year college plan; credit limit applies | Opened September 1, 2026; all materials due January 14, 2027, 5 p.m. EST |
| Future of STEM Scholars Initiative — FOSSI | $40,000 over four years; $10,000 annually | HBCU + approved STEM award, not a published Black-only requirement. Entering college freshmen; unweighted high school GPA 3.0+; financial need; U.S. citizens or permanent residents; relevant chemical-industry career interests | Opened September 18, 2026; deadline January 8, 2027 |
| TMCF / McDonald’s Black and Positively Golden Scholarship | Up to $15,000 for 2027–28, split between fall and spring | HBCU-focused; no racial restriction in the published eligibility bullets. Full-time undergraduate study at an HBCU, cumulative GPA 2.7+, leadership, financial need, and U.S. citizenship or permanent residency; confirm the institution qualifies with TMCF | Opened August 3, 2026; closes April 23, 2027, 11:59 p.m. EST, as stated by the provider |
The award totals are not interchangeable: a four-year scholarship total is different from funding for one academic year. “Up to” means a maximum, not an amount every selected student receives.
Verified closed programs to monitor
| Scholarship and official provider | Published award for the closed cycle | Eligibility and category | Last verified deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| CBC Spouses Education Scholarship — Congressional Black Caucus Foundation | Varies | Broader community-leadership award, not Black-only. Full-time undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral study; U.S. citizenship/permanent residency; GPA 2.5+; residence or school in a CBC member’s district; leadership and community activity | March 27, 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET; next-cycle dates not confirmed |
| Agnes Jones Jackson Scholarship — NAACP | $2,000; non-renewable | Membership/need-based, not a published Black-only requirement. NAACP member; under 25 when applying; GPA 3.0+; financial need; full-time enrollment or acceptance at a U.S. college; U.S. resident or citizen | May 22, 2026; next-cycle dates not confirmed |
| Hubertus W. V. Willems Scholarship — NAACP | $3,000; non-renewable | Male STEM + membership award, not a published Black-only requirement. NAACP member; GPA 3.0+; financial need; engineering, chemistry, physics, or mathematical-sciences career interests; full-time U.S. enrollment/acceptance; U.S. resident or citizen | May 22, 2026; next-cycle dates not confirmed |
These closed-cycle amounts and requirements are planning information, not a forecast of next year’s terms.
Which opportunities belong on your shortlist?
Ron Brown: Black high school seniors with financial need
Current college students cannot apply. The program supports study at an accredited four-year U.S. college and is not limited to a particular major or to HBCUs. Start with its eligibility and application guidance, then check the current portal’s deadline details. Do not use an older directory deadline in place of the provider’s current competition information.
Jackie Robinson Foundation: check the current rules, not legacy summaries
The current application requirements include an adult recommendation, a transcript, ACT or SAT scores, a CSS Profile, and three brief essays. Its FAQ says scores must come from one test date, not a superscore. It also allows applicants who graduated in the previous year but have not enrolled in college coursework.
You do not need to be an athlete. The current application eligibility list does not state a Black-only or minority-only condition; do not add one based on the foundation’s name or an older listing.
FOSSI: an HBCU STEM commitment, not funding for every science major
FOSSI is administered through the HBCU Week Foundation with founding partners AIChE, the American Chemistry Council, and Chemours. Its application page gives priority to chemical, mechanical, and electrical engineering and chemistry. Computer science, biology, mathematics, and other listed fields may also qualify.
Nursing, medicine, psychology, architecture, and aerospace engineering are among the excluded career paths. Check your intended major rather than assuming “STEM” is enough.
Renewal requires full-time eligible STEM study at an HBCU and a GPA of at least 2.5. Transferring to a non-HBCU ends eligibility. This makes FOSSI a strong option only when your academic and college plans match its continuing conditions.
McDonald’s / TMCF: verify your college and the funded year
The 2027–28 program page requests a 200-word response about using education to create community impact. Funding applies to verifiable tuition and usual fees.
The overview discusses TMCF’s member-school network, while the eligibility bullets specifically require undergraduate HBCU enrollment. If your institution is an HBCC, PBI, or another institution mentioned in the overview, ask TMCF whether this particular award covers it. Do not assume the entire network qualifies.
CBC Spouses Education: leadership, degree level, and district connection
The closed 2026 application record required a video statement of no more than three minutes, a resume, transcripts, and a recommendation uploaded by the applicant. It also required living or studying in a CBC member’s district.
Older promotional wording emphasizes African-American and Black students, but the foundation’s July 17, 2026 statement describes the Education Scholarship as open to all. Use the current application conditions rather than imposing a racial restriction. Recheck rules when the next competition is announced.
NAACP: membership and individual restrictions matter
For Agnes Jones Jackson, age and financial need are important screening checks. For Hubertus W. V. Willems, check the male-student requirement and the specific STEM career fields.
The pages mention high school seniors, undergraduate students, and graduate students “for applicable scholarships,” while their descriptive text emphasizes undergraduate degrees. Graduate applicants should confirm their degree level is covered in the next application rather than treating general wording as automatic eligibility. Neither page’s published requirements state a racial restriction.
Build an application plan around the actual requirements
Use a shortlist with these columns: provider link, school stage, college restriction, citizenship/residency, GPA, financial need, materials, deadline, renewal rules, and status.
Then take the next step that matches your situation:
- High school senior considering a non-HBCU: Start with Ron Brown and Jackie Robinson Foundation eligibility. Do not spend time on FOSSI unless your college plan changes.
- High school senior considering an HBCU STEM degree: Compare FOSSI’s preferred majors and continuing requirements with your intended course of study. Keep alternatives if your major is undecided.
- Current HBCU undergraduate: Check TMCF’s McDonald’s program against your enrollment plans for the funded 2027–28 year, not only your current year.
- Graduate student: Monitor the CBC Education program’s next announcement and confirm the relevant NAACP award covers graduate study. Ron Brown and the entering-freshman FOSSI award are not substitutes.
For a community-service essay, make notes about one real project: the need you noticed, your role, the action you took, the result you can support, and what you learned. Use your own evidence; never invent hours, beneficiaries, or outcomes. This is a planning framework, not submission-ready scholarship essay text.
For JRF specifically, its FAQ requires your writing to be your own and allows AI only in limited ways such as spelling and grammar edits. Send the CSS Profile to JRF using code 4248; completing it without selecting the foundation does not satisfy the requirement.
Find additional funding without confusing a directory with an award
UNCF’s official scholarship search is a discovery route, not one universal “UNCF scholarship.” Each program has separate requirements and dates. Filter for your college, academic classification, major, and location, then read the individual opportunity record. An HBCU and a UNCF member institution are not labels to treat as interchangeable.
For engineering and related STEM subjects, NSBE’s scholarship guidance requires paid membership and GPA verification. Its page said the Fall 2026 scholarship cycle would open soon when checked; do not interpret the published GPA-verification window as a scholarship application deadline.
For local funding, ask your counselor or financial-aid office for community-foundation and regional awards. A useful request is: “Which awards accept students from my home county, my school, or my intended major, and where are the current official applications?” Include broader academic and need-based awards in your search rather than limiting yourself to awards with “Black” in the title.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to attend an HBCU?
Not for every award. Ron Brown permits accredited four-year U.S. colleges; JRF uses its approved-college requirement. FOSSI requires HBCU study throughout college, and the McDonald’s/TMCF eligibility bullets require HBCU enrollment. Match the scholarship to your actual college plans.
Are these all exclusively for Black students?
No. Ron Brown explicitly requires Black/African American identity. The other listings are HBCU-focused or broader opportunities relevant to Black students, with their own published restrictions. A sponsor’s mission is not a substitute for an eligibility rule.
Can permanent residents or international students apply?
Citizenship is program-specific. Ron Brown, FOSSI, McDonald’s/TMCF, and the closed CBC Education record permit U.S. permanent residents. JRF’s current criteria require U.S. citizenship. NAACP uses “U.S. resident or citizen” wording; do not interpret that phrase as confirming eligibility for every visa category. Ask the provider about your specific status.
Does a $40,000 award mean a full ride?
Not automatically. The Ron Brown and FOSSI totals are spread over four years. Compare the annual award with your college’s actual remaining costs and ask the financial-aid office how outside funding fits your aid package.
What should I do first?
Choose two or three programs whose school stage, college, and residency requirements you meet. Open the official applications, record the complete-materials deadlines, and request any needed recommendation or financial documents. Keep closed programs in a separate watchlist instead of mixing them into today’s application queue.
