Qualifying applicants are those that: 1) Have graduated from, or are currently attending, Boothbay Region High School (BRHS) or are deemed to have special circumstances approved by the Awards Committee with unmet financial need. 2) Have been admitted to or are enrolled at an accredited post-secondary institution or in a program that has been approved by the Awards Committee.

No, there is no residency requirement to apply for a grant (award).

Anyone can apply for a grant (award) from BRSAF, but not everyone will qualify. Please refer to the eligibility requirements above (Question 1).

Yes, if you have attended BRHS for a period of time and have a GED or HiSET, you may apply for a grant from the BRSAF.

Students that are home school can apply, and his/her application could be considered under the special circumstances provisions approved by the Award Committee.

You may apply to the BRSAF at any age if you meet the eligibility requirements.

Yes, you may apply to the BRSAF for a grant (award) if you plan on attending an accredited vocational training program.

Yes, you may apply to the BRASF for a grant (award), if you participate in an accredited program or a program that is approved by the Awards Committee.

The “certificate” program must be accredited. Most post-secondary institutions and program organizations indicate if the program is accredited on its website. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) are accrediting organizations that provide information to the public about the institutions and program organizations they accredit and when those institutions and programs have been reviewed. For a complete list of recognized accrediting organizations and their accredited institutions or programs, go to: • The CHEA Database of Institutions and Programs Accredited by Recognized U.S. Accrediting Organizations: https://www.chea.org/chea-recognized-organizations • The USDE Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/

You must reapply each year to see if you qualify. Please refer to the list of the required application documents in the Applicant Resources tab.

Applicants may be eligible for an award for the summer session. Applicants must apply before May 1st to be considered.

The completed application and required documents must be submitted by the deadline to be considered. If your application is incomplete, you will be notified and advised on the missing documents. Once the application is complete, the Awards Committee will make their determination of eligibility.

All applicants must apply on-line via the link found on our website, www.brsaf.org. You will be required to complete an application and submit other required materials as outlined on our website and below. The required documents must be submitted by the deadline to be considered and, if your application is incomplete, you will be notified. Once the application is complete the Awards Committee will make their determination of eligibility.

You need to submit a completed application and supporting documentation by May 1st if you are a graduating BRHS Senior and July 20th for all other applicants. Late applicants may be considered, but grants (awards) will be dependent on available funds at that time.

The following documents must be submitted with the application: 1) BRSAF online application form. This form can be accessed under the Applicant Resources tab; 2) The Financial Release Form. This form can also be found under the Applicant Resources tab; 3) The FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS) from the FAFSA. (This document can be up to 5-6 pages); 4) Your current year financial award package from your institution and the complete bill for the semester from the institution.

In this scenario, the applicant could combine summer and fall Cost of Attendance to calculate the Grant (award). The applicant must provide BRSAF with a copy of the Spring bill upon receipt. The application will be reviewed, and Grant (Award) may be adjusted upon receipt of the Spring bill. To consider the summer term only the completed application would need to be filed by May 1st.

We use the information you have provided when you have completed FAFSA application (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form and our award calculation to evaluate the amount of unmet financial need for each applicant,

You must reapply each year to see if you qualify. Please refer to the list of the required application documents in Section B. Question 1.

No repayment of the grant (award) to BRSAF is required. The money is a grant (award), not a loan.

The Transfer Information Form, which is located under the Applicant Resources tab, needs to be completed, and the current year financial award package from your new institution needs to be submitted. The same process used for the initial award will apply for the new institution. In addition, BRSAF must receive the returned award from the initial institution prior to releasing the award funds to the second institution.

Yes. A transfer to another school will not prevent you from receiving a grant (award) if you still qualify.

Yes. Financial assistance may be provided to qualifying students for no more than the equivalent of six academic years.

The application requirements for an award are the same for both the undergraduate and graduate level. Financial assistance may be provided to qualifying students for no more than three years at the graduate school level.

Yes. You must meet the eligibility requirements as outlined under our Applicant Resources tab to be considered for a grant (award). Vocational training, as well as professional training and certificate programs are acceptable if it is an accredited program or one that has been approved by the Awards Committee.

No. A person is eligible for financial assistance for no more than the equivalent of six academic years, with no more than three years at the graduate school level.

The application requirements for an award are the same for both the undergraduate and graduate level. Financial assistance may be provided to qualifying students for no more than three years at the graduate school level.

No, the BRSAF grant (award) is based only on the EFC from the FAFSA, submitted with the application. The best approach to address the employment status change is directly with your institution.

When a student changes their mind about attending an institution and does not enroll, the grant (award) money is returned to BRSAF. When a student withdraws from their institution, the unused funds are returned to BRSAF.

Yes. Late applications may be considered, and depending on the circumstances and available funds, a grant (award) may be given. If you apply after the deadline, there is no guarantee that you will receive a grant (award) for that academic year.

Your grant (award) will be based on the cost of attendance minus room and board. Mileage at the government rate will be factored into your final grant (award). Depending on the circumstances, and approved by the awards committee, room and board expenses can be included in the grant.

The application process does not change. You will still submit your total cost of attendance for the school year in the online application.

If you meet the requirements outlined in the Eligibility Requirements section, you may apply at any time for a grant (award) within the grant (award) process.

It will most likely be different each time you qualify due to changes in your, and your family’s circumstances, and the amount of funds available for awards varies each year.

Financial assistance may be provided to qualifying students for no more than the equivalent of six academic years.

The Grant (award) amount is sent directly to the Institution’s Financial Aid office.

The amount of money that you will receive cannot be determined by itself as all grants (awards) are based on the total available funds for all applicants. Graduating seniors should receive a letter from BRSAF shortly after graduation informing them of the amount of their grant (award). All other applicants will receive notification in August.

A grant (award) from BRSAF should not have an impact on what an institution is offering for aid. When BRSAF checks are mailed to an institution, a letter is sent to the institution, including the following wording: “Should this grant (award) cause the Institution to reduce your aid to the student, please return our check or contact us to resolve the conflict.” There have been very few issues with this, and they have been resolved by phone.

Checks for first year students are sent directly to the Institution in July and for all other students in August for the Fall semester. Spring Semester checks are released in December. For those programs with one session, the entire grant (award) is sent at the beginning of the program. Those programs held over the summer or on a trimester basis will be accommodated.

The BRSAF Board of Directors approves the total Funds available for Grants for each calendar year. Grants (awards) from BRSAF are based on a percentage of unmet need as determined by subtracting the student’s financial aid package and half the Student Aid index (SAI) from the school ‘s total cost of attendance (COA). COA minus School Award (grants/scholarships) less one-half of the (SAI) = Unmet Need. The Unmet Need is then multiplied by the percentage based on available funds for the entire group. Not all unmet need is guaranteed to be covered.

Our Finance Committee oversees our investments in accordance with our written Investment Policy. The Invested Funds are held in accounts at Raymond James and Vanguard, with the majority being held in Vanguard Index Funds (both equity and bond).

Approximately 5% of monies go to operating and administrative expenses.

The Board of Directors follows the “standard fiduciary policies” for a nonprofit organization. A percentage of the average of the market value of invested funds for the last 20 quarters is utilized to establish the withdrawal from invested funds each year to help fund the grants (awards). The percentage varies each year, taking into consideration the economic climate but it is typically in the 4-5% range.

The majority of dollars donated to the annual fundraising campaign go directly to the student grants (awards). A donation to a Named Fund, or a designated capital gift, is added to the Fund’s investments.

BRASF has several options for support: 1) A donation to our Annual Fund. Almost all these monies go directly to the student grants (awards) due to an all-volunteer board and control of expenses; 2) A donation to establish a Named or Memorial Fund. In honor of the donor, the donor’s family, an organization or in memory of a loved one. A Named Fund requires a gift of $25,000. This money is added to our Invested Funds, the earnings from which help support our grants (awards); 3) Name the BRSAF as a beneficiary in your Planned Giving, Will, Charitable Trust, Annuity, etc; 4) Gifts of any amount may also be made to our Invested Funds for any reason with confidence that the gift will keep on giving; 5) Refer to Options of Support tab for more details.