National and Local Scholarship Resources
This page has two sections: search tools to help you access the thousands of scholarships available nationally, followed by a table of dozens of local WNY scholarship opportunities in order by annual due date.
Note: These sites are free but they do ask for personal information to help match you with scholarships.
College Board Scholarship Search
FastWeb
Scholarships .com
Student-Scholarships
College-scholarships
Cappex
Niche
Career OneStop scholarships
GoingMerry
ScholarSnapp
Review of Scholarship Search Platforms
Federal Trade Commission Warning: Scholarship and financial aid scams
WNY Area Scholarships
This is the most comprehensive list of local scholarships for students in WNY. Due dates vary annually; approximate dates are shown and are updated as they come in. Some links may not work as organizations update their websites. Once we are informed of the current year's application the link will be updated.
Due Date |
Scholarship Name |
$ Value |
Eligibility Requirements |
10/5 |
AES Engineers |
500 |
Grades, character. Apply here. |
11/18 |
BPO Young Musician Scholarship |
up to 3,000 |
Seniors in WNY majoring in music. Recording and essay required. Apply here. |
1/6 |
Buffalo Lafayette Optimist Club |
2,500 |
based on essay. Apply here. |
1/29 |
NY Credit Unions Scholarship |
varies |
for credit union members. Apply here. |
1/11 |
American Association of University Women |
5,000 |
For senior girls in Erie or Niagara County with 95+ average. Apply here. |
1/15 |
WNY Mensa Scholarship |
up to 1,000 |
Scholarship based strictly on essay. Apply here. |
2/1 |
Firefighter Arno Memorial Foundation Scholarship |
2,500 for 4 years |
Scholarship for seniors planning to attend a 2 or 4 year college who are the son/daughter of a first responder employed in WNY. Apply here. |
2/1 |
Milak Scholarship |
1,000 - 1,500 |
For students impacted by learning disability, hearing impairment, or cancer. Apply here. |
2/9 |
General Pulaski Scholarship |
1,000 |
Essay on Polish heritage. Apply here. |
2/14 |
Lockport Rotary Club |
2,000 |
for Lockport district residents. Apply here. |
2/23 |
Buffalo Urban League |
250- 4,000 |
Various awards. Academics, need, service. Apply here. |
2/28 |
NY Water Environmental Association |
up to 10,000 |
Majoring in environment-related field; multiple scholarships available. Apply here. |
3/1 |
Knights of Columbus Scholarships |
1,500 |
Child of Knights of Columbus member attending a Catholic college or university. Apply here. |
First Sat. in March |
Jolly Boys Scholarship |
varies |
Resident of Amherst or Williamsville; community service. Apply here. |
3/10 |
Ken-Ton Friends of Youth Grants |
up to 1,000 |
Multiple grants for residents of Ken-Ton. Apply here. |
3/15 |
Bank on Buffalo Scholarship |
1,000 |
Scholarship for business majors. Apply here. |
3/15 |
Character Council of WNY |
1,000 |
Excellent character, resident of WNY. Apply here. |
3/15 |
Fireman's Association of NY |
1,500 |
Child of firefighter; or an Explorer. Apply here. |
3/20 |
NYS Society Professional Engineers, Erie Niagara Chapter |
1,000 |
Open to engineering majors. Apply here. |
3/22 |
Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardener |
1,000 |
Students who reside and attend school in Erie County, majoring in botany, horticulture or related field. Apply here. |
3/22 |
Delta Sigma Theta |
varies |
Male or Female African American seniors; academic achievement, leadership, service, need. Apply here. |
Last Fri. in March |
HS Counselors' Association of WNY |
1,000 |
Attending college in NYS, majoring in psychology or counseling related field. Apply here. |
3/31 |
100 Club of Buffalo |
2,000 |
Child of police, fire, or other emergency responder; achievement, involvement, leadership. Apply here. |
3/31 |
Buffalo Implant Group |
500 |
Seniors with a hearing implant. Apply here. |
3/31 |
Federated Garden Clubs NY |
1,000 |
Studying environment-related field. Apply here. |
4/1 |
Checkers AC Donnelly Scholarship |
500 |
Seniors who run track or cross country. Apply here. |
4/1 |
Grand Island Lions Club |
2,000 |
GI residents with community service. Apply here. |
4/1 |
Orchard Park Library |
varies |
|
4/1 |
Rupp Astronomy Scholarship |
5,000 |
For WNY students studying astronomy. Apply here. |
4/9 |
Aero Club of Buffalo |
3,000 |
Student from WNY planning a career in aviation. Apply here. |
2nd Fri. in April |
NYS Association of Agricultural Fairs |
1,000 |
Participation in Erie County Fair, majoring in agriculture or related field. Apply here. |
4/12 |
Allentown Village Art |
1,000 |
For art majors; portfolio required. Apply here. |
4/12 |
Erie County Fair Scholarships |
varies |
For students who have participated in fair in any way or entering agricultural field. Apply here. |
4/12 |
Cynthia Cervoni Memorial Scholarship |
5,000 |
Seniors who resides in Frontier or Hamburg School District. Must have passion for art. Details and application here. |
4/13 |
Erie Country Links Scholarship |
varies |
African American students; academics, service, leadership, need. Apply here. |
4/13 |
Taste of Buffalo Poster contest |
500 |
WNY students age 13+. Apply here. |
4/15 |
Aurora Players |
500 |
for seniors with experience in theater. Apply here. |
4/16 |
Grand Island Zonta Club |
1,000 |
Grand Island resident; academics and extracurricular activity. Apply here. |
4/18 |
Taste of Buffalo and Tops Markets |
1,000 |
For majors in culinary, food service, hospitality, etc. For either scholarship, apply here. |
4/20 |
American Legion Legacy Scholarship |
varies |
Various awards for child / grandchild of military. Apply here. |
4/22 |
KidsPlay Scholarship |
1,000 |
Former KidsPlay participant. Apply here. |
4/25 |
St. Thomas More Guild Scholarship |
1,600 |
for students in Catholic HS; essay required. Apply here. |
4/30 |
Erie County Fire Chief's Mutual Aid Organization Scholarship |
1,000 |
Must be a Jr. Firefighter, Firefighter, or Firefighter's immediate family. Applicants must be planning to continue their education after high school. Application here. |
4/30 |
Kiwanis Club New York District |
1,000 |
Service, leadership, need. Must have local Kiwanis Club nomination. Apply here. |
4/30 | Society of Professional Journalists Buffalo Chapter | varies | Students majoring in Communications or Journalism. Apply here. |
5/1 |
Community Foundation Greater Buffalo |
up to 6,000 |
resident of WNY, demonstrated financial need. Apply here. |
5/15 |
Italian American Police Association |
250 |
Italian heritage, 80 average, studying criminal justice. Apply here. |
5/1 |
NYSACAC scholarship |
1,000 |
For students who have overcome obstacles, succeeded with limited resources, or underrepresented. Apply here. |
5/1 |
PFLAG |
500 |
Seniors who are either: self-identified LGBTQ or a straight ally who is supportive. Apply here. |
5/1 |
WNY Association of School Nurses |
1,000 |
Students from Erie or Niagara studying Nursing. Apply here. |
5/1 |
Zonta Club of Buffalo - HealthCare Award |
1,000 |
Student living in or attending HS in Buffalo; volunteerism, entering health care field. Apply here. |
5/1 |
Zonta Club of Buffalo - Gallivan award |
1,000 |
Female student living in or attending HS in Buffalo; volunteerism. Apply here. |
5/3 |
Erie County American Legion |
1,500 |
For families of veterans. Apply here. |
5/5 | Lawrence D. Bell Niagara Frontier Chapter Air Force Association (AFA) Scholarship | 1,500 | For students majoring in a STEM field with a GPA of 85 or higher. Apply here. |
5/5 |
Niagara Jr. Purple Eagles Gary Hill Memorial |
varies |
5 years experience playing Niagara Jr Purple Eagles hockey. Apply here. |
5/11 |
NYS School Facility Association |
500 |
For students studying Building Trades, Engineering, Architecture. Apply here. |
5/13 |
Junior Achievement of WNY |
1,000 |
for students who participated in JA programs. Apply here. |
5/15 | The Barnes Firm College Scholarship | 2,500 | For seniors with a GPA of 85% or higher. Apply here. |
5/15 |
Friends of Unified Sports |
varies |
Students who participated in Unified Sports. Apply here. |
5/31 |
Lewiston Jazz Festival Scholarship |
1,000 |
For music majors. Audition required. Apply here. |
6/1 |
Engineering Society of Buffalo |
2,000 |
Studying Engineering related field at UB. Apply here. |
6/1 |
WNY Heroes |
1,500 |
Relative of a WNY veteran. Apply here. |
6/11 |
Nicholas Patterson Fund |
2,000 |
Erie County resident, essay. Apply here. |
6/30 |
Equine Collaborative International |
500 |
For students entering program related to the equine industry. Apply here. |
7/1 |
Buffalo Sabres Alumni |
varies |
Community service, leadership, extracurricular activity, essay. Apply here. |
7/31 |
Mason Forever Foundation |
varies |
3.5 GPA majoring in health/fitness program. Apply here. |