What is the difference between a SPARK Administered Scholarship and other scholarships found on the SPARK Scholarships page? 

SPARK is only a part of the selection process for SPARK Administered Scholarships. SPARK Administered Scholarships are hosted on our third-party platform, Kaleidoscope, and then reviewed by SPARK Board Members and SPARK volunteers. Funding for these scholarships is held with SPARK and then disbursed from SPARK to the selected recipients' university or college student accounts. 

Other scholarships shared on SPARK's Scholarship page include opportunities from community and business partners of SPARK. SPARK sometimes will aid in the fiscal responsibilities of these scholarships (holding and disbursing funds), but SPARK is not a part of the application or selection processes for these scholarships. 

For more information about scholarship available to PWCS students, visit the PWCS College and Carreer Readiness page about Naviance, the online tool all Prince William County Public Schools students can use to engage in college and career planning, build a resume, career and personality interest inventories, and set goals through a game plan. 

Who can apply to SPARK Scholarships? 

Specific application criteria is shared on the home-page of each individual SPARK Administered Scholarship. In most cases, the scholarships are open to PWCS seniors who are on track to graduate in the spring of that school year. Select scholarships are open only to students of specific schools or programs, or only open to students pursuing specific degrees/licenses. 

What is the SPARK Scholarship timeline for students? 

SPARK Administered Scholarships generally follow the following timeline: 

• Applications open for students to apply during the first week of February. 
• Applications close around the first week of April, or at the end of Spring Break, which ever occurs first. 
• Teachers, mentors, and counselors are usually provided an additional 24 hours after applications close to submit their portion of a student's application. 
• Applications are reviewed by the SPARK Scholarship Review Committee, and recipients are selected, during the second half of April.
• Recipients are notified either by SPARK or their school's College & Career Counselors during the last week of April or first week of May. Recipients may be invited to attend their school's Senior Awards ceremony. 
• Recipients will be provided "Next Steps" in May to ensure all necessary information is collected for scholarship funds to be disbursed to each recipient's university/college by the end of the first week of August.

Scholarships not administered by SPARK, but offered by community and business partners, may be shared on a case-by-case basis, as information becomes available, during any time of the school year. Most scholarships are shared on SPARK's Scholarship page between February-May of each school year. Occasionally, scholarships are offered during other times of the year, so be sure to check back frequently throughout the school year to learn more. 

Who can offer a SPARK Administered Scholarship? 

Most SPARK Administered Scholarships are offered by either community or business partners with established relationships with SPARK and PWCS, or are offered by families or organizations who wish to offer a memorial scholarship in honor of a former PWCS student or employee. If your community, business, or family is interested in learning more about offering a SPARK Scholarship to PWCS students, please reach out to [email protected] 

What is the timeline for launching a new SPARK Administered Scholarship, and what are the steps? 

If you are interested in working with SPARK to offer a scholarship to PWCS students, email [email protected] with the following information: 

• Brief description of scholarship and who would be eligible (example: All PWCS seniors, PWCS student athletes, or only students of Woodbridge HS) 
• Projected funding amount of the scholarship (Our scholarship offerings range anywhere from $750-$10,000 per student.)
• Potential title for the scholarship (example: The John Doe Memorial Scholarship) 

Once this information has been provided, SPARK will reach out to schedule a follow-up call or meeting to discuss details and potential next steps for building a new SPARK Administered Scholarship. 

Please keep in mind the following SPARK Administered Scholarship timeline when reaching out regarding a potential new scholarship:

• October-November: Scholarship On-Boarding 
• December 1: Funding for scholarships must be provided and received by SPARK for Spring scholarships
• December-January: New scholarship applications designed, tested, and shared with stake-holders 
• February-April: Scholarships open for students to apply
• April: Scholarships closed and reviewed by SPARK Scholarship Review Committee 
• May-August: Student recipients notified and funding disbursed 
• August-October: SPARK office open to discussing new scholarship opportunities! Please email [email protected]