Fallen Heroes Fund Scholarship

About this scholarship

The Community Foundation of West Texas Fallen Heroes Fund Scholarship helps dependent survivors of U.S. service members and first responders who died on active duty on or after September 11, 2001. Eligible family members include a surviving spouse and biological, adopted, or stepchildren. Students may attend college, university, or another qualifying postsecondary program either full time or part time. The award supplements other financial aid and survivor education benefits rather than replacing them. Its value varies with the applicant and available funds; the sponsor states only that scholarship support cannot exceed the cost of a four-year degree at Texas Tech University, so the fixed “full tuition” description used by some directories is not guaranteed. Scholarship payments go directly to the educational institution and may be used for tuition, required fees, and books. The Foundation’s 2027 universal scholarship application opens December 1, 2026 and closes February 1, 2027. New applicants create an account in the official portal, complete the universal questions, and then submit every scholarship-specific section presented by the eligibility system. Applicants should click Submit for each separate scholarship shown on their dashboard.

Eligibility

• Be the dependent surviving spouse, biological child, adopted child, or stepchild of a qualifying fallen hero
• The service member or first responder must have died on active duty on or after September 11, 2001
• Be enrolled or preparing to enroll in a postsecondary educational program
• Enrollment may be full time or part time
• Complete the Community Foundation of West Texas universal scholarship application
• Submit the separate Fallen Heroes Fund section generated by the eligibility portal
• Use awarded funds only for tuition, required fees, or books through the educational institution