SCHOLARSHIPS
Community Foundation of Carroll County Scholarships & Applications
The 2025-2026 Scholarship Season: Open November 15, 2025 to April 15, 2026.
The Community Foundation of Carroll County supports nearly 70 academic, sports, special circumstances, and 4-H scholarships. Search scholarships by name, or sort by application type. These scholarships fall into three application types (noted in the far right column):
Universal Portal Application: This application is closed for 2026 scholarships.
4-H Portal Application (Jan 15 – July 1, 2026)
Other Scholarships using individual applications
The Universal Portal application is an easy way for students to APPLY ONCE and see all the scholarship opportunities they are eligible for (application opens in January and closes mid-April each year). 4-H Club Participants – Use the 4-H/FFA Scholarship Portal application for scholarship opportunities just for you (opens in January and closes July 1 each year). You only apply once and complete the applications for the opportunities you want to pursue.
There are additional scholarship opportunities found in the “Other” category. These are scholarships hosted by the Community Foundation, but the application, review and award process is managed entirely by the scholarship holder. These have individual deadlines, criteria and applications. All scholarships are listed below with criteria, donation information, and access to the application.
| Name of scholarship | Sarah Jayne Orton Memorial Scholarship |
|---|---|
| Mission Statement |
The purpose of the Sarah Jayne Orton Memorial Scholarship is to honor the life of Sarah by providing a scholarship to a graduating female senior in the class of 2026 at Westminster High School. The applicant must meet the criteria and be an active animal lover. This scholarship is funded by the work of Sarah’s Cause, an ongoing mission to raise awareness of sepsis, and to support local animal shelters. Sarah’s Cause Mission statement: To raise awareness of sepsis to the general public and provide support for local animal shelters to honor the memory of Sarah Jayne Orton – a little girl with a big heart. We carry on her legacy by donating to shelters – much like she did at her 5th birthday in 2013, when instead of gifts, she requested donations to the Baltimore Humane Society (BHS). The class of 2026 would be her year of graduation; all applications will be considered to be awarded a scholarship for college. |
| Criteria | 2026-Sarah-Jayne-Orton-Memorial-Scholarship-Fund-Criteria.pdf |
| Website | sarahscause.org |
| Make a donation | Donate |
| View Application | Apply |