Frequently Asked Questions

Extended Deadline for 2010 Scholarship Applications: April 16 2010

Q: How can I increase my chances of being awarded a scholarship?

A: Be sure that you ask the people writing your letters of recommendation to discuss the specific project on which your application centers in their letters. Also, if any newspaper articles have been written about what you've done, include copies. Explain in clear terms why what you've done matters---what problem it addresses and how. Make sure people writing your letters & sending your transcript make the deadline (giving them stamped, addressed envelopes makes it easier for them).

Q: Who should write my letters of recommendation ?

A: People who know you and who are familiar with the project that is central to your application.

Q: Do recommendations have to come from teachers?

A: No, but at least one should come from someone from your school who is familiar with you and your project.

Q: May I apply for this scholarship in connection with a project I completed a year ago?

A: Yes as long as it is fresh in the minds of your letter-writers.

Q: May I apply for a project that I worked on as a member of a team?

A: Yes but make sure you specify exactly what your role was on the team, and make sure that your letter-writers confirm what your role was. If you led the team or came up with the idea for the project, you are more likely to be recognized for what you did than if you were just a member of the team working on it.

Q: Am I likely to win if I started a club that is a local chapter of a national organization at my school or in my community?

A. Probably not. Just starting a local branch of a national organization would not ordinarily fit the scholarship's criteria for innovation and creativity.

Q: Can I apply if I've creatively solved a problem faced by my family, rather than by my school or community?

A: Yes. That is fine. Just explain clearly what the problem was and how you solved it.

Q: Do I have to be a NYC or Connecticut resident now? Is it OK if I spent some of high school in Connecticut or NYC but don't live there currently?

A. If you plan to use the scholarship at a college in NYC or Connecticut, you may still be eligible. Be sure to send your college admissions letter when you receive it even if it arrives after you have submitted your application.

Q: If my grades aren't great should I forget about applying?

A: No. This scholarship is not tied to academic achievement. It is given for what you have accomplished in areas that may or may not correlate with getting good grades.

Q: What if I don't know what college I want to go to yet?

A: That's OK. We make the awards based on what you have done, and wait to find out where you decide to go to school before sending the check to your college registrar.

Q: If I am applying for the scholarship based on art that I have done, may I submit photos of my art?

A: Yes. We prefer electronic scans of your art if you have them available. You can email them to the Community Foundation after you send your application. Email them to bwatkins@cfgnh.org or faxed to 203-787-6584.

Q: If my project comes across more clearly with video or audio materials, may I submit those?

A: Yes. We prefer materials in a form that is easy to circulate via email, however. If you have them on a web site and can provide a link, that would be best.

Q: What if I don't go to college right after high school, but take some time off?

A: That's fine. Just let us know where and when you will be entering college and the scholarship will follow you.

Q: If I'm already getting financial aid, and I win this scholarship, will my financial aid be reduced by the amount of the scholarship?

A. That is not supposed to happen, and we warn your college not to do that when we send the check. If they do that anyway, let us know.

Q: What happens if I take time off from college? Do I lose the scholarship?

A: No. You do not get any funds when you take time off, but the scholarship can resume when you return to school.

Q: How do I prove that I am still a student in good standing each year?

A: You provide the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven with an official transcript.

Q: I applied for this once before and was turned down. May I apply again?

A: Yes. As long as you are still eligible.

Q: Why should high school juniors apply for this scholarship?

A: It can help you in your college applications.

Q: What happens if I transfer from one college to another?

A: The scholarship follows you. Just let us know and provide evidence that you are a full-time student in good standing at your new college.

Q: If I take more than four years to get my degree, may I get the scholarship extended?

A: No.

Q: May I use the scholarship for books and school supplies?

A: The scholarship may be used to support only tuition, room and board (unless your college's financial aid office has a process for allowing financial aid to cover books purchased at the college bookstore, in which case you may use it for that, as well).

Q. How is the amount of the award determined?

A. The judges evaluate the amounts to be awarded to each winner on a case-by-case basis.

Q. If I created a walk for a project that has never been done before, can that be considered?

The focus of this award is originality and innovation. It is unlikely that a scholarship would be given to an applicant who simply applied a familiar and often-used fundraising strategy such as a "walk for" to a cause for which it had not previously been used.

Q. I created a new magazine. Do I need to send 8 copies of it?

A. Yes.

Q. I have a video of the project, do I need to send 8 DVDs?

A. Yes.

Q. May I apply a second time if I do not get an award, or if I get only an honorable mention?

A. Only if your second application is for a different project.

Q: May I spread the amount of the scholarship over the four years in a manner that is not four equal payments?

A: You may not get more than $5000 your first year. If you prefer to defer the scholarship for your first year until your second year (due to your financial aid package), you may receive two years' worth of payments in your second year. You may always defer a payment, but may not get a payment in advance.

Q: What if I get stuck on my application...and have questions about how best to write up my project? What if I have a hard time writing the essays? My parents are not fluent in English so they cannot help me go over my application.

A: We have volunteer mentors whom you can contact for encouragement or specific assistance. Please email or call us and we will find someone who can give you some help. We have help available.

Q: What does winning the Milton Fisher Scholarship require me to do?

A: Your job is to continue being an innovative and creative person in whatever path you choose. In addition, we welcome (but do not require) your assistance in recruiting future applicants for the scholarship.

Q: Who was Milton Fisher?

A: Milton Fisher was born and educated in New York City and made his home in Connecticut from 1960 until his death in 2001. He was an attorney and an investment banker who also taught a unique course for adults called "Applied Creativity" for over 25 years. The popular class focused less on creativity as expressed in the arts (as it is often understood), and more on helping people be more creative in all aspects of their lives, developing creative problem-solving skills and innovative approaches to challenges that they faced individually, or that faced their community. His deep interest in the roots of creativity, and the many the exercises he developed to help people become more innovative and creative in their lives, also led him to write the book Intuition: How to Use it in your Life, which has been translated into Chinese, Portuguese, and several other languages. He was also a world-class matchmaker (something he did for the joy of it--never for money) who was profiled in US magazine for his skill at intuitively bringing together so many couples who embarked on happy marriages as a result. (He wrote about his experiences as a matchmaker in his book, Haven't You Been Single Long Enough? ) He served on the boards of several public companies, and wrote two books about Wall Street. He was known for his irrepressible sense of humor, his brilliant insights into people and their problems, and his zest for making the world better in both small ways and large.

Q: Why was this scholarship created?

A: It was created to foster the kind of creativity that Milton Fisher valued and nurtured in everyone around him, and to encourage young people to come up with innovative solutions to problems faced by their families, schools, and communities.