Scholarship support made possible withChurch of MetaA community fellowship · learn more ↗A community scholarship letter
The Right to Try
No one can be excellent alone. Education grows when a family, teacher, mentor, and community decide that a learner deserves another honest chance.
Dear student, parent, and person still trying,
Financial hardship should not decide who gets to ask the question, repair a missing foundation, or pursue difficult work. Avid Thinking and Church of Meta offer scholarship support because talent is everywhere, while access is not. We want to understand both what has been difficult and what you are still determined to build.
Scholarships are considered through two lenses: demonstrated financial need and the learner’s effort, promise, or personal excellence. Excellence does not require a perfect transcript. It may appear in a student who kept working while caring for family, learned independently, returned after falling behind, built something without formal instruction, or simply has the courage to begin again.
What support may cover
Award levels vary with available community funding and the service requested. Many approved awards reduce eligible Avid Thinking services by 25% or 50%. A limited number of full scholarships may be available. Every complete request is reviewed individually, and no particular award level is guaranteed.
What to include in your request
- Introduce the learner. Include their age or grade, the program or support requested, and a parent or responsible adult contact when the learner is under 18.
- Write a personal essay, up to 1,000 words. Share your background, a struggle you faced, how you worked through it, and what this opportunity would change. Include anything else you want us to understand.
- Describe your household’s financial circumstances. Include household size and combined gross income before taxes. There is room to explain changes in income and expenses that the numbers do not capture.
- Share evidence you are comfortable providing. Helpful materials may include awards, school records, work or caregiving responsibilities, or documentation of Medi-Cal, SNAP, or similar assistance. These documents can support a faster need review, but are never a measure of a learner’s worth.
How review works
Most complete requests receive a decision within seven days, and some are reviewed sooner. An approved scholarship is valid for one year. Families may apply for renewal each year so limited funds can be reviewed fairly as circumstances change.
There is no advantage to sounding formal and no penalty for asking. Write honestly. Show us the learner, the obstacle, and the effort. Nobody becomes excellent alone, and asking a community to stand beside you is not a weakness. It is part of how the right to try becomes real.