The 2025 AWC Center for Quality Communities scholarship cycle is now open.

The AWC Center for Quality Communities (CQC) scholarship supports high school seniors who are active in leadership in their city government, community, or school and plan to pursue post-secondary education.

Each year, all of Washington’s 281 cities and towns can recruit scholarship applicants. Each jurisdiction can nominate one graduating high school senior. This is a great way to recognize the youth in your community who have made a positive contribution to your city.

Up to three $3,000 scholarships are being offered in 2025.

Scholarship recipients also receive a travel stipend to attend AWC's Annual Conference in Kennewick, Washington, in June 2025.

About the AWC Center for Quality Communities scholarship

The AWC Center for Quality Communities scholarship is supported by individual donors who are passionate about inspiring and recognizing youth leadership in municipal government. The AWC CQC is pleased to have awarded 74 scholarships to date, resulting in over $139,000 of funding as of 2024. Learn about our previous scholarship recipients.

Students: How to apply

Each city or town can nominate one graduating high school senior for a Center for Quality Communities scholarship. The nominee recruitment and selection process happens through your city. Check with your city to find out the local deadline for students to apply.

City nominations are due to the Center for Quality Communities by January 27, 2025.

Eligibility

Students interested in consideration for the Center for Quality Communities scholarship must be:

• Active in community leadership and civic service through city government, community groups, or school;
• Eligible to earn a high school diploma, homeschool diploma, or GED in spring/summer 2025;
• Planning to continue education in the 2025-26 academic year at an accredited college or trade school at least half-time; and
• A Washington state resident.

Interested in applying?

• Contact your city. Information may be posted on your city’s website, or you can reach out to your mayor’s office for more details. Be sure to find out your local deadline to apply.
• Complete the Center for Quality Communities scholarship application:
  • 2025 CQC scholarship application
  • Include a letter of recommendation from a nonrelative.
• Submit your application to your city/town by your local deadline.
• Your city will select a nominee to forward to the AWC Center for Quality Communities for consideration.
• Scholarship recipients will be notified in Spring 2025.
  • Note: If you are selected as a recipient, you will be asked to provide a photo to be used to help promote the scholarship program via program materials, website, and/or social media.

Cities: How to nominate students

The 2025 application period is now open. City nominations are due to the CQC by January 27, 2025.

Any of Washington’s 281 cities and towns can recruit scholarship applicants. Each jurisdiction can nominate one graduating high school senior.

How do you recruit, select, and nominate?

Cities and towns are important partners in the selection process. Here's how you do your part:

• Each city decides how it wants to select a local nominee. For example, you might:
  • Recruit from active city volunteers, youth representatives, or youth council members.
  • Make it a competitive process, open to the community at large.
  • Open the application to those in the local school district, or limit your recruitment to city residents only.
  • It’s your choice, and you are encouraged to select a model that works best for your city.
• Set a local application deadline, keeping in mind that the city nomination is due on January 27, 2025.
• Publicize the scholarship and local deadline. See the “tips for cities” section below for ideas and resources to help you get the word out (flyer, sample press release, sample social media posts, etc.).
• Review the student applications and select one student to nominate for the CQC scholarship.
• Write a letter of support for the nominee.
• Submit your city’s nominee to the Center for Quality Communities no later than Monday, January 27, 2025.
  • Use the online CQC scholarship nomination form
  • Upload the student’s application, letter of recommendation, and your letter of support.

Note: Student nominees who are applying to the University of Washington are eligible for consideration for the UW Presidential Scholars Program. CQC will forward those applicants to UW – neither the city nor the student needs to take any action.

2025 application checklists

Student applicant checklist:

• 2025 CQC scholarship application
• Letter of recommendation from a nonrelative

City/town checklist:

• 2025 CQC scholarship nomination form
• Student’s letter of recommendation
• City/town letter of support

Tips for cities

Ideas to help with your community’s scholarship process

Organize

• Review the Center for Quality Communities scholarship information (eligibility, process, timeline, etc.).
• Identify a city contact who will receive the scholarship applications.
• Set a local application deadline.

Determine local eligibility criteria
Each city can decide its local eligibility requirements. Consider the following:

• Is the scholarship limited to students living within city limits?
• Is the scholarship limited to active volunteers in city programs, or does it extend to school and community leadership activities?
• Do you want to partner with your local schools or service organizations to publicize the scholarship and recruit applicants?

Outreach – How do you want to spread the word?
Community-wide recruitment:

• Post information on your website.
• Include details in city publications.
• Send information to your local media. Sample press release
• Share on social media. Sample language and image
• Print and distribute flyers at city hall, local libraries, and community centers.
• Share flyers with college counselors at local high schools, nonprofits, and community groups.
• Promote through your local youth council.
• Announce the scholarship opportunity at community meetings and service clubs.

Recruiting from city volunteers:

• Post information in city hall.
• Advertise through city staff who work with student volunteers or high school students.
• Send information directly to student volunteers.
• Personally recruit student volunteers.

Working directly with local high schools:

• Send scholarship information and flyers to local high school college counselors.
• Encourage the school newspaper to help publicize the scholarship.

Nominations
Get your team organized.

• Name a selection committee to review the applications and select a scholarship nominee.
• Before reviewing applications, be sure to confirm that each applicant meets the scholarship eligibility criteria.

Select a nominee
Now comes the fun part!

• Review the student applications and select one student to nominate.
• Write a letter of support for your nominee.
• Submit your student nomination to the CQC through this online nomination form no later than January 27, 2025.