A.C. “Kate” & Leo Joseph Merlone Teaching Scholarship
Offered by Saginaw Community Foundation
About this scholarship
The A.C. “Kate” & Leo Joseph Merlone Teaching Scholarship supports students connected to Saginaw County who are preparing for careers in education. It is a separate named scholarship from the broader Merlone fund and has its own eligibility rules, but applicants use the same Saginaw Community Foundation common application. Candidates must be graduating seniors or current college students who graduated, or will graduate, from a Saginaw County high school. They must attend a Michigan college or university full time, pursue an undergraduate or graduate degree in education, and maintain at least a 3.0 GPA. The Foundation scores the scholastic record and essay at 25 points each, leadership and recommendations at 20 points each, and community involvement at 10 points. The 2027 application period opens November 1, 2026 and ends February 12, 2027. The common portal requires a recent transcript, contact information for an unrelated reference, and seven essay responses about educational plans, career goals, and experiences at home or in the community; each response has a minimum length. Any additional scholarship-specific item shown in the application must also be supplied. The sponsor does not state a guaranteed award amount or number of recipients in advance, so both remain listed as variable.
Eligibility
- Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
- Attend or plan to attend a Michigan college or university
- Pursue an undergraduate or graduate degree in education
- Enroll full time
- Be a graduating high-school senior or current college student who graduated or will graduate from a high school in Saginaw County
- Upload a recent school transcript
- Provide an unrelated reference through the common application
- Complete the seven-question scholarship essay section and any scholarship-specific item shown in the portal
- Submit the online application between November 1, 2026 and February 12, 2027