Kinecta Federal Credit Union has announced its highly anticipated 2019 “Youth Scholarships and Teaching Grants for Grow” program. Beginning March 1, 2019 and running through March 29, 2019, eligible students and teachers can apply at https://www.kinecta.org/youth-scholarships/ and https://www.kinecta.org/teaching-grants/. Eight $2,000 scholarships will be awarded to help full-time students make higher education a reality, and six $2,000 grants will be given to teachers to help them bolster instruction and classroom projects.

All applications and supporting documents must be received by March 29, 2019, and Kinecta Scholarships and Grants winners will be announced on or around May 31, 2019. To date, Kinecta Federal Credit Union has awarded more than $180,000 to help 85 students to make higher education a reality and has helped 14 teachers to purchase supplies or fund classroom projects through its “Youth Scholarships and Teaching Grants for Grow” program.

“Kinecta Federal Credit Union is dedicated to helping young adults reach their academic goals and teachers enhance their classroom offerings,” said Latrice McGlothin, Manager, Community Engagement at Kinecta Federal Credit Union. “We’ve been banking the South Bay for 80 years, so we have a vested interest in this community and its education. We want the best for our students and teachers.”

Application Guidelines

Students Scholarships:  Eligible applicants should be:

• 24 years of age of younger at time of application.
• A high school senior applying or accepted to attend full-time at an accredited college or university OR a full-time student currently attending an accredited college or university.

Teachers Grants are open to:

• Pre-K to 12th-grade teachers certified in their state of residence, as well as home school teachers.
• Only ONE grant will be awarded per teacher, although there is no limit to the number of applications an individual may submit.
• Recipients must use grant funds to purchase supplies and/or fund a classroom project.

Evaluation and Selection Criteria

Students Scholarships: Eligible applicants must submit a written essay (minimum 1,000 words). Essay question: Pick an experience from your own life and explain how it has influenced your development. Applications will be scored based on the following criteria:

• Essay – 40%
• Community Involvement – 20%
• GPA* – 15%
• Awards & Achievements – 10%
• Extracurricular Activities – 10%
• SAT or equivalent – 5% (transcripts required)

Teachers Grants: Grants will be awarded based on the information provided in the application. Several factors will be taken into consideration, including financial need, number of students impacted and project creativity.

For more information about Kinecta, visit www.kinecta.org.

For more information about the Consumers Cooperative Society of Santa Monica, an association affiliated with Kinecta Federal Credit Union, visit www.ccssm.org.