Scholarships for Military Children, Families and Spouses

National Scholarships

• Several organizations offer scholarships to the families of military personnel from all service branches and throughout the United States. AMVETS offers $4,000 to dependent children of veterans, as of Aprpil 2011. Vietnam Veterans of America offers scholarship support to the dependents of Vietnam war veterans through the Mike Nash Memorial Scholarship Fund. The National Military Family Association offers support to the spouses of both current and former military personnel through the Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse Scholarship Program. The Pat Tillman Foundation offers scholarships to spouses of current and former military personnel, as well as to dependent children between the ages of 19 and 28. The organization ThanksUSA offers scholarships of $3,000, as of April 2011, to spouses and dependent children under the age of 24.
  
  

State Scholarships

• Some states provide scholarship support to the dependents of current military personnel and veterans. For instance, the North Carolina Division of Veterans Affairs offers scholarships to the dependent children of disabled or deceased veterans. As of April 2011, the scholarships are valued at up to $4,500 per year for students attending private schools, and up to the full cost of tuition for students attending public institutions within the state. Another example is the state of Florida, which offers full-tuition scholarships to students under the age of 23 who are dependents of disabled veterans.
  
  

Wounded Veteran Family Scholarships

• Some scholarship programs for military families are reserved for the dependents and spouses of wounded or disabled veterans. For example, the Folds of Honor Foundation offers scholarships to both the spouses and dependent children of veterans who have been wounded in the line of duty since September 11, 2001. The Freedom Alliance is another organization offering scholarship support to the children of disabled veterans. In 2010, the average award was $4,830. The Military Order of the Purple Heart offers scholarships to the dependents and spouses of disabled veterans who received the Purple Heart for wounds received in battle.
  
  

Branch-Specific Scholarships

• Some organizations offer scholarship programs limited to dependents and spouses of military personnel from specific service branches. The Air Force Aid Society offers scholarships of up to $1,500 to the spouses of current Air Force personnel, and scholarships of up to $2,000 to the dependents of both current and former Air Force personnel (figures as of April 2011). The organization Army Relief Emergency offers scholarships to dependents and spouses of Army personnel. The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation makes scholarship support available to the dependent sons and daughters of Marine Corps personnel, and also awards some scholarships to grandchildren. The Navy League of the United States offers $10,000 scholarships to Navy children as of April 2011. The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society offers scholarships to dependent children of Navy and Marine Corps personnel, and to unremarried widows of those who lost their lives in action.