What are the scholarship application requirements?

Once a student has been accepted, all families are invited to complete a Parent Statement of Financial Circumstances.

• Submitted through our Parent Application portal, a parent/guardian will provide a recent tax return, asset and household expense information, special financial circumstances, etc.
• Note To Parents: In general, we require a tax return from the previous or current tax year. For example, if you are completing an application in January, you probably have not yet completed your return for the year that ended in December. So provide a tax return from the previous year, which you should have completed. We understand that every household’s financial circumstances are unique, but our committee is going to be very skeptical of an application that does not include a recent tax return. For 99.9% of heads of household, you are either legally required to file a tax return with the IRS or would miss out on a tax refund by not filing. So, if you can’t provide recent tax information to help us verify income and establish an appropriate award amount, you will need to provide a thorough explanation why this information is absent or we will be unable to evaluate your family’s application. If your financial circumstances have changed significantly since your most recent return, please clarify any changes in income or assets.
• We only require the “first page” of your return, which includes the Adjusted Gross Income line. Please block out social security numbers before uploading your return.
• We are sometimes willing to consider a FAFSA or financial aid determination letter from an independent school in lieu of a tax return. Please email scholarships@sustainablesummer.org to request an exception. This does not guarantee that we will accept such a document in lieu of a return or that we will match the amount or percentage of an award from another institution, however we will consider your request to do so.