The next application season for UMHEF scholarships opens soon on January 1! If you or a student in your life is hoping to attend a United Methodist-related school for the 2023-2024 year, now is the time to get ready to apply for available awards.

Here are 3 things you can do NOW to prepare:

• Review our scholarship programs for details and to make sure you meet the eligibility requirements.
• Planning to apply for the UM Dollars or Scholars program? Contact your sponsoring church now to make sure they’re able to provide the initial $1,000 award. (If your church doesn’t have funds budgeted, consider sharing these fundraising tips!)
• The General Named Endowed Scholarships require letters of recommendation from your pastor and a teacher/professor. Now’s a great time to identify these persons and let them know to watch for an email inviting them to do so after you submit your application.

BONUS TIPS: Check out our FAQs page for answers to commonly asked questions. Want a convenient reference for our award process? Download the 2023 Scholarship Guide.

Wondering what to include in care packages for your college student? We asked some of our UMHEF scholarship recipients what they’d most like to get. Here’s a list of some of those items, plus a few ideas to put some extra care into those care packages.

Most Requested Items

It may come as no surprise that the most requested item students would love to get in a care package is money!

• Grocery store gift cards
• Coffee shop gift cards
• Restaurant gift cards
• Coins or cash for the laundry room
• Cash for spending on whatever they need

Also not surprising, is the second most popular item: food!

• Favorite candy and snacks
• Microwave popcorn
• Homemade cookies or treats
• Items from their hometown bakery

Practically Perfect Items

Including some practical necessities in care packages can offer students support during those long hours of writing papers and studying for tests.

• Pens, pencils, or highlighters
• Colorful sticky notes
• Note cards
• Portable reading light
• Travel coffee mug
• Stress ball

Items to Encourage and Inspire

Don’t underestimate the power of an encouraging word or self-care moment to keep students going!

• Handwritten card or note
• Mementos or photos from home
• Printed Scripture Cards
• Coloring book and crayons or markers
• Lotion, lip balm, or body scrub

More Resources to Support College Students

When in doubt about what your college or seminary student would be most excited to get in a package, just ask! You’ll never go wrong asking for ideas straight from the source.

If you’re looking for other ideas for how to care for the students in your life, check out our Pinterest board of care package ideas (and other resources) we’ve collected over the years.

It is with fondness and an appreciation of a life well lived that the UMHEF community remembers Board of Trustee member Bob Forrest, who passed away on Thursday, September 15, 2022.

Bob had served as a United Methodist Higher Education Foundation trustee since 2017. As his obituary states, “Bob loved the Lord and the United Methodist Church.” During his time with the foundation, Bob passionately supported United Methodist students seeking higher education. With particular interest in students within his home state of Georgia, Bob and his wife Martha have advocated tirelessly to raise funds and awareness through the Martha Forrest Scholarship Fund. The lives of many students have been impacted in countless ways through his work, for which we are profoundly grateful.

The prayers of the UMHEF staff, Board of Trustees, and community go out to Martha and the family during this difficult time.

At the family’s request, gifts may be given in Bob’s memory to the Martha Forrest Scholarship Fund below.

The UMHEF United Methodist Dollars for Scholars (UMDFS) award is a unique scholarship program that kicks off with a $1,000 scholarship from an applicant’s United Methodist Church. For some congregations, however, money is not readily available but the desire to support students is. If you are a sponsoring church that is low on funds, check out the following tips for raising these funds.

The UM Dollars for Scholars award is a matching program. UMHEF, participating UM-related schools, and UM Conference Foundations may each match for a total of up to $4,000. Learn more.

WAYS TO RAISE $1,000 CHURCH SCHOLARSHIP

• It takes a village. While we prefer the $1,000 to be sent to UMHEF on one church check, more than one United Methodist congregation may contribute. Consider reaching out to other congregations to pool funds. These may include the church the applicant attends while at school, the student’s parent’s church (if different), etc. If multiple churches will contribute and want to write their own checks, please send all checks together at one time if possible.
• Many hands make light work. Similarly, ask groups within your church to sponsor part of the $1,000 total. Your youth or college ministry, a large Sunday School class, outreach groups the student may volunteer with, etc.
• Pass the plate. We have heard of congregations incorporating a special offering specifically for the UMDFS program.
• Get creative! Want to really drum up excitement for the students in your congregation who you want to support through this program? Host a fundraising event. Ideas include a talent show with “admission,” car wash, gift wrapping station at Christmas time, silent auction, or church yard sale.
• Get students involved. If you’d like to involve students who plan to apply for the UMDFS program, they may want to reach out to family, neighbors, teachers, and friends and ask them to donate to your church for this designated purpose.

UMHEF is here to help your church be successful in supporting students aiming for higher education. We are happy to provide custom announcement suggestions, worship slides, and/or traditional bulletin inserts for your UMDFS fundraising efforts. Email our Director of Communications/Public Relations, Teresa Tysinger, or call her at 615-649-3975.

The application season for the 2023-2024 academic year will be January 1 – March 1, 2023. Now’s the perfect time to make plans for funds to support the students in your church who plan to apply for the UMDFS program. Talk to the youth and college students in your church now and be ahead of the game! As always, we thank you for the amazing impact you have on countless United Methodist students. 

As she begins her junior year at Paine College in Augusta, Georgia, Madison is striving for more through UMHEF. She is one of nearly 1,000 students around the world impacted by United Methodist Higher Education Foundation (UMHEF) scholarships this year.

A recipient of the UMHEF Martha Forrest Scholarship for the 2022-2023 academic year, Madison is able to focus on her studies without struggling to cover the costs.

“This scholarship plays a role in successfully paying for my education and ensures I can reach my goals without having a doubt in my mind about paying for it.”

Madison, Paine College Student & UMHEF Scholar

With the support, Madison can focus on her studies and reach for her dreams. “I plan to work my way into pediatrics after I receive my undergraduate degree,” she says. “I love children, as well as helping people, so why not go into pediatrics and be the best at it?!”

A serious, driven student, Madison explains, “I always strive for more instead of settling for less.” Among her achievements, Madison was selected to represent Paine College as a White House Initiative Scholar in 2021. She adds, “This made a lot of people proud—including myself!” The staff of UMHEF is also proud—as I hope you are—to be a part of her journey.

Your contributions help thousands of young United Methodists like Madison, attending one of over 100 UM-related institutions of higher education, strive for more instead of settling for less.

Please consider a gift of $25, $50, $100, $500, or any amount to support our students. When you give to the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation, you empower our young people and set them up for success.

Jadd Masso first received a UMHEF scholarship in 1995 as a student at Southern Methodist University and is now a lawyer living in Dallas, TX. He first joined the UMHEF Board of Trustees in 2010 and has since served in many roles of leadership. Below, Jadd shares some thoughts about making the connection between scholar and servant.

When I received a scholarship from UMHEF to help pay for my undergraduate education at Southern Methodist University, I had no idea of how great a blessing it really was. Of course, the money for tuition as appreciated, but what I didn’t realize then was how the scholarship would further strengthen my connection with the church.

I grew up going to Sunday school and was active in my youth group during high school, but (like many college students) was not particularly involved thereafter. Receiving a scholarship from UMHEF was, to me, a reminder of who I was, where I came from, and the community I belonged to.

While at SMU, I received frequent reminders from UMHEF about the church’s support for me and for hundreds of other students like me across the country. UMHEF stayed in touch with me after graduation, through law school, and as I began my career. As a young adult, I was eager to become a donor to UMHEF. I wanted to pay back the gift that had been given to me, so that other students like me could have the same opportunities–not just to attend a church-related college or university, but to do so with the love and support of their church community. My UMHEF scholarship inspired me to rekindle my involvement at church as an adult and to take on leadership roles in my local congregation.

I have also been honored to serve on UMHEF’s board of trustees since 2010. I support UMHEF now because I know that the scholarships we give are so much more than assistance with tuition. Our scholarships are a way for the church to connect with its youth during a transformational time in their lives and to inspire its future leaders.

Jadd’s reflection first appeared in the 2021 UMHEF Annual Review. Read the full report here.

Here at the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation, we have many reasons to celebrate: UM students thriving as they seek God’s calling on their lives, schools committed to providing quality education, and YOU – our faithful and generous supporters!

In this year’s UMHEF Annual Review, we take a look back at the amazing ways God worked through you and our partners in 2021 to live into the foundation’s grand vision to make higher education possible for United Methodist students. 

Inspired after reading the impact made last year? You can be a part of the community of supporters changing the lives of hundreds of United Methodists every year.

Amid the busyness of the season, the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation invites you to spend a moment every day of December this Advent thinking about the story of Jesus’ birth. With one Bible verse a day, may you find your own peace and joy in the journey to the miraculous gift at the manger.

Download the Verse-a-Day Advent Calendar below for FREE as our gift to you. It’s our hope that you may feel Christ with you during this special season.