Ventura County Community Foundation Scholarships

Scholarship Sponsored by Ventura County Community Foundation

This scholarship process is competitive — there are more than 100 awards and several thousand applicants each year — so a careful, complete application matters. Read everything below, follow the steps, and use the checklist before you submit.

Quick overview (what to do, in order)
1) Create your account on the VCCF AcademicWorks portal. Use a personal email (not your school email) and check it often. Choose a secure password:
- Minimum 12 characters
- At least 1 digit, 1 uppercase, 1 lowercase, and 1 special character (choose from: # ? ! @ $ % ^ & * -)
- Do not include your username or common words/phrases

2) Request two recommenders. One must be a teacher or school counselor; the other can be a coach, employer, pastor, mentor, etc. Not accepted: family members or peers. Ask early — recommenders usually need at least two weeks.

3) Fill out the general application on the portal. After that, click “Other Opportunities” and confirm you meet the criteria for any individual scholarships you select.

4) Upload your transcript as a PDF (see requirements below).

5) Confirm your recommenders complete the online recommendation questionnaire and that all required documents are uploaded before the final deadline.

Important documents and requirements
- Transcript
- Must be uploaded as a PDF.
- File name should be short and use no special characters.
- Student profile pages are acceptable only if they display your unweighted GPA.
- Your unweighted GPA must be visible on the transcript/profile.

- Recommendations
- You will list recommenders’ names and email addresses in the portal. If possible provide personal emails.
- Recommenders will complete an online questionnaire.
- Give recommenders at least two weeks’ notice; earlier is better.
- At least one recommender must be a teacher or academic counselor.

Before you submit — a short checklist
- Application fully completed (use “N/A” for questions that don’t apply; do not leave blanks)
- All required documents uploaded and correctly named
- Two recommendations submitted
- You meet the eligibility requirements for each scholarship you applied to
- Essays written to the specific prompt and proofread

Scholarship tips from a teacher
1) Don’t wait until the last minute. Thoughtful answers take time.
2) Make sure your recommenders submit their questionnaires — that’s your responsibility.
3) Follow directions exactly. Provide everything asked for and nothing extra that isn’t requested. Supplying unrequested materials can disqualify you.
4) Make your essay memorable by being personal and specific. Use concrete details (who, what, where, when) and show how the experience affected you. Answer the prompt directly.
5) Proofread. Ask a teacher, parent, or friend to read your essays and look for spelling or grammar errors.
6) Treat the application like a representation of you. A neat, complete, timely submission reflects well on you.
7) Apply only for scholarships for which you are actually eligible.

Need help?
If something isn’t working or you have a question, contact the scholarships team at scholarships@vccf.org.

If you want, I can turn this into a printable checklist you can keep while you work on your application.