Frequently asked questions about scholarship funds

A supplemental scholarship is a scholarship to defray expenses related to your studies, such as housing, food, transportation, books, tuition, equipment, among others. This scholarship is not disbursed through the university; it is transferred directly to your bank account.

This will depend on the Scholarship Fund to which you apply. Some scholarships offer renewal opportunities, usually up to a maximum of 4 years, depending on the discipline of study. To check the particular renewal opportunities for each scholarship, please go to here to read the available Application Guidelines.

FCPR seeks to maximize the number of youth supported, so while you may apply for all scholarships for which you qualify, only one scholarship will be approved from our funds per academic year.

To apply for a scholarship, access here to locate the solicitation you are interested in. Open and read the Application Guide for the application you are interested in and click on the online application link/button included within the Guide; each application has a particular Guide and a specific link. After accessing our online application system using the link for the scholarship of interest, you will need to create an account. Within the online application, you will find a section to post your essay and attach the documents required by the application. Be sure to fill out all required fields in order to successfully submit your application.

To apply for a scholarship, access here to locate the solicitation you are interested in. Review the Application Guide for the solicitation of interest and click on the online application link/button included within the Guide. Log in with your username and password and complete the online application. Within the online application, you will find a section to place your essay and attach the documents required by the application. Remember that if you are a renewal student, it is necessary to include your financial report of scholarship use. A sample is included below. Before submitting the application, check if there are any required fields or documents that have not been completed. If a required document does not apply to you because it is a renewal application, you will need to scan a blank page in PDF format and attach it to your application. Be sure to complete all required fields in order to successfully submit your application.

To create an account, click on “New applicant? You will need to choose a username (email) and password. You will also need to select and answer some security questions. Be sure to keep your password and your answers to the questions in a safe place.

Once you have created your account, you can start the scholarship application. First, you will have to answer the test (quiz), which validates that you meet the basic requirements for the scholarship you are applying for. You can then proceed to complete the required fields of the online application. These collect information about you, your family, and your academic profile. At the end of the application, you will find a section to place your essay and attach the documents required by the application. The system will not allow you to submit the application if there are any required fields that have not been completed. Be sure to complete all required fields in order to successfully submit your application. If necessary, you can continue your application later; your application will be saved in the system.

To continue an application that you have already started, you must access the Home Page of the application system in this link. This link is different from the link you used to open the application for the first time. Once you access the system, log in with your username and password and then select the application you wish to continue.

No. Only documents in PDF format with a size of 500 MB or less will be accepted. If you have the documents in a different format, you must save them in PDF before attaching them to your application. You can use any scanning application (scanner) available on smartphones. These applications allow you to convert photos into PDF documents. Some examples are: Cam Scanner, PDF Scanner y Mobile Scanner.

In addition, you may only attach one PDF per category. If you have more than one document in a single category, you must consolidate them into one PDF before uploading the file to your online application.

The online system will send you a message indicating that your application has been submitted. Also, you can check the Home Page of the online system if your application is in progress (in progress) or if it was subjected to (submitted).

All applications received are preliminarily evaluated by the staff of the Philanthropic Services Unit of the Puerto Rico Community Foundation (PRCF). This preliminary evaluation includes a review of the academic transcript, essay, letters of recommendation, evidence of leadership and supporting documents submitted. The applications that best meet the established criteria are then recommended to an evaluation committee appointed by the FCPR. This committee is composed of representatives from the Scholarship Fund, academia, the community, and the FCPR. The committee conducts a final evaluation, which may include an interview of the applicants, and recommends the recipients of the scholarship.

It depends on the Scholarship Fund. Some Funds always interview applicants as part of the evaluation process, while other Funds do not require an interview to evaluate you as an applicant. In some cases, the evaluation committees may ask to interview you for a particular reason.

Your interview with the evaluation committee will be more of an informal conversation about your accomplishments, aspirations and experiences. The committee members will ask you questions about your life, your academic and professional interests, your goals, your involvement in extracurricular activities or organizations, and your need for the scholarship for which you are applying.

Generally, interviews last 10 to 20 minutes. You will be assigned a time for your interview. You will wait in a waiting room until the committee is ready to interview you. We will be interviewing other people and may have delays, so you should wait until you are admitted to the meeting.

If it is a virtual interview, it will be conducted through the Zoom or Teams platforms. You will receive the interview invitation and the link to connect via email.

If it is an in-person interview, it will most likely take place at the offices of the Puerto Rico Community Foundation located at 1719 Ave Ponce de Leon, Santurce, near the University of the Sacred Heart. This information will be sent to you by e-mail along with your interview appointment.

For a virtual interview, you can be sure to download the application to be used for the interview and test your microphone and camera. Plan to be in a place with a good connection and minimal noise. Review your application essay and be prepared to elaborate on your performance, goals, student or college experience, leadership and need.

The Philanthropic Services Unit staff will contact you to inform you of the status of your application within approximately 8 weeks. You will receive an award or denial letter from the Puerto Rico Community Foundation.

Access the Home Page from the online application system. Once inside the system, click on the “Forgot your password?” option. You must then enter your username and your answers to the security questions. The system will send you an email with a temporary password and instructions on how to set a new password. Be sure to keep it in a safe place.

Write an email to becasydonativos@fcpr.org where you explain your situation and include your username. Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 5:30pm. You will receive a response within 24 to 48 business hours. Once the staff receives and processes the information, they will manage an email from the system with a temporary password and instructions on how to set a new password. Be sure to keep it in a safe place. The temporary password is valid for a period of time, then it will expire and you will need to request a new password.

Write an email to becasydonativos@fcpr.org where you explain your situation and include your username. Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 5:30pm. You will receive a response within 24 to 48 business hours. Once the staff receives and processes the information, they will manage a system email with a temporary password and instructions on how to set a new password. Be sure to keep it in a safe place.

Write an email to becasydonativos@fcpr.org explaining your situation and including your full name and the name of the Scholarship Fund for which you are applying. You will receive a response within 24 to 48 business hours. If it is an urgent question, you can call 787-721-1037. Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 5:30pm.

You will receive an e-mail informing you of your scholarship approval or denial. If you were approved, the message will include instructions and next steps regarding the letter of agreement process.

Through DocuSign, you will receive a letter of agreement, which establishes the restrictions and regulations governing the awarding of the scholarship. This document must be signed and sent with DocuSign to initiate the disbursement process; this process can take several weeks. The first scholarship payment will be disbursed within 30 to 45 days after this process is completed. Those selected will participate in a virtual or in-person award ceremony, where members of the evaluation committee, representatives of the Scholarship Fund, family members and staff of the Puerto Rico Community Foundation may be present.

As this is a supplemental scholarship, you will receive payments through direct deposit to your bank account; the scholarship is NOT received through the university. It is important that you provide us with your bank information when requested during the process of signing your letter of agreement.

Generally, the scholarship disbursement is divided into two payments. The first scholarship payment (50%) will be disbursed as soon as the letter of agreement is signed and the Finance Division of the Puerto Rico Community Foundation (PRCF) completes the process. The disbursement could take 30 to 45 days after this process is completed.

If applicable, the second payment of the remaining 50% will be awarded during the second academic semester, upon receipt of the scholarship usage report, evidence of enrollment for the second semester, and grades earned in the first semester.

We have a template for the grant usage financial report that details all the information you should include. The report should reflect the amounts used by line item.

You can send them directly to the e-mail becasydonativos@fcpr.org. The documents must be identified with your full name and the name of the Scholarship Fund for which you are applying.

As part of your application, you will be required to write an essay to provide us with information to supplement your application. The essay should answer the questions included in the Scholarship Fund Guidelines for the Scholarship Fund for which you are applying, available at here. The questions may vary from fund to fund, but in general, they seek to learn more about your college experience, your challenges and successes, your leadership and contributions to the community, and your need for a particular scholarship. The essay is usually a maximum of 500 words, unless the Guidelines indicate otherwise. You should type the essay directly into the field provided in the online application or write it in another platform or program and then copy (copy) and paste (paste).

Before submitting your essay, we recommend that you share it with family, friends or professors who can help you review the document and make suggestions for improvement. Remember that the essay serves as a reference of your person and allows you to establish your merits as an applicant, so you should dedicate time and effort to it.

Letters of recommendation are an important reference that help the evaluation committee understand your potential as an applicant. It is important to select people who have worked closely with you throughout your academic development and are knowledgeable about your accomplishments and goals. At least one letter of recommendation should be written by a professor. Letters of recommendation should include information about your academic performance, your community service, your plans for the future, your strengths, your leadership, and your extracurricular activities. If they do not send the digitized letters to you, you can share the email becasydonativos@fcpr.org with the people who are recommending you to send the letters of recommendation to that address.

Letters of recommendation should be addressed to the Evaluation Committee of each individual Scholarship Fund. For example:

Evaluation Committee

Benito Massó Scholarship Fund for Loíza Youths

Puerto Rico Community Foundation

If your referrers provide the letters to you, you must attach them to your online application before the deadline and then submit your application with all attachments.

If your referrers would like to send the letters directly to the Community Foundation, they can do so via email at becasydonativos@fcpr.org. Letters must be received no later than 2 weeks after the application closing date. If this is your case, the online system will require you to include a document in the space provided, so you will need to create a sheet indicating the name and contact information of the person who will be writing the letter. You will then need to scan it in PDF format and attach it to your application.

Yes, you may submit the letters used to apply to universities, as long as they include the information suggested in the Application Guide.

A transcript of credits is a document that evidences the courses you have taken throughout your student career. It also includes the grades earned in each course and your GPA (grade point average). The official transcript must be requested directly from the Registrar's Office at your college or university, who will send the transcript to the mailing address or e-mail address you provide.

Our mailing address is: Puerto Rico Community Foundation, PO Box 70362, San Juan, PR 00936-8362. Our e-mail address is becasydonativos@fcpr.org.

Generally, there is a cost associated with requesting an official transcript of credits; you must validate it with the Registrar's Office of your university or academic institution.

In order to complete your online application, you must submit an unofficial transcript of credits, as it is a required field in the application and the system will not allow you to submit it if you do not attach a document in that field. If you are a high school student you can include an updated transcript, you must scan it in PDF format. If you are a college student, you must access your college's online profile, where you will be able to access an unofficial version of your transcript. You can download a PDF of your transcript or take screenshots (screenshots) and convert them to PDF format. This unofficial document will suffice to fulfill the requirement until we receive your official transcript of credits.

For evidence of admission, you may submit the letter of admission to your program of study sent to you by the university. If you do not have it, you can request from the Registrar's Office of your university an evidence of admission that includes the discipline or concentration of study.

For evidence of enrollment, you may submit your class schedule, indicating the credits, for the current academic semester. The document must include your name to validate that the class schedule is indeed assigned to you.

For evidence of student leadership and community service, you may submit a paragraph explaining your experiences, certificates of participation on official paper from the organization or entity, letters of recognition, event programs or photos. Evidence of participation in non-profit community organizations, student, university, civic, religious, among others, will be accepted.

It is a document issued by the Financial Aid Office of the university in which the university costs of the degree and academic discipline you are studying are detailed. It usually includes costs related to tuition, fees, books and supplies, housing, food, transportation, among others. It also includes the amount of FAFSA (Pell Grant) and other institutional scholarships you receive, if any.

To comply with this requirement, there are several documents that you must seek and submit. The first (1) is the certification issued by the college's financial aid office. You must also include evidence of (2) household income; this can be (a) your parent's income tax return and/or W-2, (b) evidence of receipt of PAN (Nutrition Assistance Program), (c) evidence of receipt of Social Security, (d) evidence of pension or retirement, or (e) a letter or evidence of unemployment. Finally, you are required to submit (3) a copy of the electronic FAFSA (Student Aid Report) application and response that includes the EFC coding.Expected Family Contribution). This document must show how much Pell Grant you receive or will receive and how much your family will contribute to your college expenses.

If you have already completed and submitted the FAFSA, log in to Studentaid and log in with your username and password for that platform. Once inside your account, search for your Student Aid Report (Student Aid Report) and download it. Make sure the document has information about how much you receive or will receive in Pell Grant and how much your family will contribute (EFC coding or Expected Family Contribution). If you have not completed the FAFSA, we recommend that you do so in order to access financial aid benefits for your college career. You can complete the application here.