Scholarships

Turning big dreams into bigger achievements.

Explore the possibilities

Scholarships are an essential part of TogetherATL, our commitment to advancing equity and shared prosperity throughout our region. After all, earning a college degree is a key to economic and social mobility. Our scholarships help to make college affordable for students, giving them access to new opportunities that can change their lives.

Scholarships also give our donors the opportunity to affect the lives of local students positively and directly.

To receive email notifications as additional scholarship opportunities become available, please join our mailing list below.

Trinitee Richards

Trinitee Richards received a scholarship from the Jim Kennedy Scholarship Fund to attend her dream school, North Carolina A&T State University. Hear how the scholarship benefited her and learn about her goals after graduation.

Scholarship opportunities and eligibility criteria

Each year, the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta provides hundreds of scholarships to students through a variety of scholarship funds.

Applications for the Ballard Family Foundation open on October 27, 2025, and close on November 14, 2025.

Applications for the Jim Kennedy Scholarship open on December 1, 2025, and close on January 20, 2026.

Applications for most of the scholarships in the 2026-2027 cycle open on December 8, 2025, and close on March 2, 2026. All 2026-2027 scholarship applicants will be notified of decisions by July 6, 2026.

Have questions about our scholarship application instructions or about the application process? Check out our FAQs here.

Applications for the Ballard Family Foundation open on October 27, 2025, and close on November 14, 2025.

To be eligible, applicants need to fulfill the following criteria:

A current junior or senior enrolled full-time at Morehouse College, Spelman College, or Clark Atlanta University.
Cumulative 2.75 or higher-grade point average.
Demonstrated financial need.
Students must participate (if selected for advancement) in a virtual interview with an E. David and Linda C. Ballard Family Foundation representative for further consideration.
Funding can only cover outstanding balances at Morehouse College, Spelman College, or Clark Atlanta University and cannot be refunded to the recipient.

Applicants must pass an eligibility quiz to apply.

Amount: Varies

Deadline: November 14, 2025

Click here to apply.

Applications for the Jim Kennedy Scholarship open on December 1, 2025, and close on January 20, 2026.

To be eligible, applicants need to fulfill the following criteria:

Must be a high school senior who is the natural, adopted, or dependent child of an individual who has been an active, full-time Cox employee for at least the last three consecutive years (as of January 20, 2026).
Must be accepted for enrollment at an accredited college, university, or technical school.
Must have a 2.50 or higher grade point average.
Must plan to be enrolled full-time and maintain that enrollment status.
For United States applicants, your Cox-employed parent must be a contributor included on your FAFSA Submission Summary. For questions about contributor status, please review this video.
No other family members can be Kennedy Scholars for the current academic year, and previous recipients are renewed if they continue to meet the scholarship's criteria and submit a renewal application each semester.

Amount: Up to $40,000 split between 8 semesters

Deadline: January 20, 2026

Click here to apply. (Please review this walk-through video for application tips.)

To be considered for the Jim Kennedy Scholarship, you must complete the 2026-2027 Jim Kennedy Scholarship for Children of Cox Enterprises Employees application. Completing another available scholarship application will not put you in the running for the Jim Kennedy program. Please look closely at the application you are completing.

To be eligible for Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta scholarships, you must be planning to enroll in a full-time post-secondary program for the 2026-2027 school year. If this applies, please fill out the universal application to see what scholarship programs you are eligible to be considered for. The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta General Scholarship encompasses 12 unique scholarship opportunities.

Complete the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta General Scholarship application to be considered for the following scholarship opportunities:

Albert and Treva Brown
James E. Cox Medical
Steve Dearduff
Thomas and Laura Kelly Family
C.O. and Nell Nixon
James and Virginia Smyth
George and Pearl Strickland
Tech High School Alumni Association W/O Cheney Merit
Everett Williams
Women’s Chamber of Commerce
Herbert Ziegler and Winifred Bird Hopkins

Please review our FAQ document if you have additional questions.

Amount: Varies

Deadline: March 2, 2026

Click here to apply. Applications open on December 8, 2025.

To be eligible, applicants need to fulfill the following criteria:

Graduating high school senior or equivalent or current student pursuing an Associate's degree in veterinary technology.
At least one year of experience as a veterinary assistant (full or part-time).
Minimum GPA of 2.50 or higher.

Amount: Varies

Deadline: March 2, 2026

Click here to apply. Applications open on December 8, 2025.

To be eligible, applicants need to fulfill the following criteria:

Minimum GPA of 2.00, Maximum GPA of 3.00. This program is for applicants with GPAs lower than 3.00.
Enrollment in or acceptance to an accredited two or four-year college, university, or technical school to pursue an undergraduate degree.
Demonstrated financial need.
Full-time enrollment.
Relatives of the Dreams2 Scholarship Committee members are not eligible for consideration.

Applicants must pass an eligibility quiz to apply.

Amount: Varies

Deadline: March 2, 2026

Click here to apply. Applications open on December 8, 2025.

To be eligible, applicants need to fulfill the following criteria:

Be a graduating high school senior from Georgia.
Have a cumulative high school GPA of 3.0 or higher AND a combined SAT score of 1000 or higher (critical reading and math only) or an ACT composite of 22 or higher.
Commitment to community service.

Applicants must pass an eligibility quiz to apply.

Amount: Up to $6,000.00 per year for four years.

Deadline: March 2, 2026

Click here to apply. Applications open on December 8, 2025.

To be eligible, applicants need to fulfill the following criteria:

Eligible applicants include full-time employees (working 40/hours/week) of Pattillo or its affiliates for a minimum of three years and their dependents (spouse, children, and stepchildren).
Graduating high school seniors or undergraduate students.
Enrolled as a full-time student or enrolled as a part-time student if working full-time.
Have a 2.0 or higher grade point average through two previous quarters or the previous semester.

This application is password-protected; please reach out to your Pattillo HR leader for password information.

Amount: Up to $5,500.00 per year for four years.

Deadline: March 2, 2026

Click here to apply. Applications open on December 8, 2025.

This application is ONLY for applicants who have never received the Mayor's Youth Scholarship in the past. Current Mayor's Youth Scholars, meaning you received the Mayor's Youth Scholarship in a previous year, PLEASE DO NOT COMPLETE THIS APPLICATION. You will be sent a renewal form to complete in late May 2026.

To be eligible, applicants need to fulfill the following criteria:

Enrollment in or acceptance to an accredited two or four-year college, university, or technical school to pursue an undergraduate degree.
Be a graduate (or upcoming graduate in the class of 2026) from an Atlanta Public School OR Reside in the City of Atlanta OR have a letter of recommendation from a current City of Atlanta employee.
No minimum GPA is required for consideration.
Priority consideration given to Pell grant recipients.
Recipients must be enrolled full-time to receive the full amount of the scholarship.

Amount: Varies

Deadline: March 2, 2026

Click here to apply. Applications open on December 8, 2025.

To be eligible, applicants need to fulfill the following criteria:

Be rising college juniors or seniors
Be enrolled at a Historically Black College or University (HBCU)
Have involvement on campus and/or within the community
Have financial need as determined by the 2026-2027 FAFSA Submission Summary
Have a 3.00 or higher cumulative grade point average

Amount: Varies

Deadline: March 2, 2026

Click here to apply.

Instructions for renewing scholarship recipients

Our Renewal Application for Spring 2026 will be emailed to all current Jim Kennedy scholarship recipients by December 8, 2025. Renewal Applications for Fall 2026/Spring 2027 will be emailed to all current scholarship recipients by May 26, 2026.

Transform lives

Are you a philanthropist interested in creating a scholarship fund? Let’s get the conversation started.

Reach out to our philanthropy team at help@cfgreateratlanta.org

Here to help

If you’re a scholarship recipient and need assistance, please email scholarships@cfgreateratlanta.org. If you would like to be notified when scholarship applications open, please sign up for our scholarships e-newsletter.

Eligible applications will be carefully reviewed and scholarships will be awarded on a nondiscriminatory basis. Award recommendations are approved by the Community Foundation's Board of Directors. Scholarship awards are paid directly to the educational institutions where the successful candidates are enrolled.