Washington State Leadership 1000 Scholarship

Leadership 1000 Scholarship Eligibility

To be considered for the Leadership 1000 Scholarship, students must:

• be a high school senior attending a Washington state high school and on track to graduate by June 2026
  –OR–
  be a college student enrolled in CSF College Services (includes all former CSF Achievers) attending an eligible Washington state college or university as a freshman, sophomore or junior in Fall 2026
  
• have achieved a minimum GPA of 2.50 through fall 2025 term
• plan to enroll at an eligible Washington state college or university starting Fall 2026 and pursue a 4-year degree
• have resided in Washington state for at least one year prior to enrolling in college
• file a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) or the free Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WASFA)
• have a family income that doesn’t exceed the program’s requirement

Please note:  International students, students on foreign exchange or visas and out-of-state residents are not eligible.

Deadline

The next application cycle opens on December 1, 2025 and is due on January 30, 2026. Only supporting documents will be accepted through February 6, 2026.

Leadership 1000 Scholarship Application

Required Documents

To be considered for the Leadership 1000 Scholarship for the 2026-2027 academic year, you must meet the eligibility criteria and complete each step below:

• Submit the following by January 30, 2026.
  • Online application
  • Request a letter of recommendation in the application portal
• Submit the following documents to your online application by February 6, 2026:
  • Unofficial transcript
    • High school students: make sure your transcript shows grades through Fall 2025 and cumulative GPA
      • If you are a Running Start student, make sure your college credits are reflected on your transcript
    • College students: make sure your transcript shows grades through Fall 2025 and cumulative GPA.
      • If you have fewer than 20 college credits, also submit your high school transcript
  • Letter of Recommendation: Ensure your recommender submits a letter of recommendation by February 6, 2026

The next application cycle opens on December 1, 2025, and is due on January 30, 2026. Only supporting documents will be accepted through February 6, 2026.

Get ready by reviewing our application guide

Need help getting started with your short-answer questions? Check out these prompts!

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Eligibility

Who is eligible to apply?

The Leadership 1000 Scholarship is open to any high school senior attending a Washington state high school and on track to graduate by June 2026.

I am a college student. Can I still apply?

You need to be a student enrolled in CSF College Services (includes all former CSF Achievers) attending an eligible Washington state college or university as a freshman, sophomore, or junior by Fall 2026.

I am now a Washington state resident, but I graduated from an out-of-state high school. Why does graduating from a Washington state high school matter?

Applicants must receive their high school diploma from Washington state institutions. It is a requirement as the funds that support the Leadership 1000 program come from the state of Washington and awarded to Washington high school students only.

If I already have an associate degree, can I apply for the Leadership 1000 Scholarship?

If you are a high school senior, enrolled in Running Start and completed 90 credits or less, you can apply for the Leadership 1000 Scholarship. Also, if you are a former Achiever currently enrolled at an eligible Washington college or university as a freshman, sophomore or junior, you can also apply.

I do not have a social security number. Can I apply for this scholarship?

Yes. Applicants are not required to have a social security number.

Can I apply for this scholarship if I’m not planning to enroll full-time?

To be eligible, students must be planning to attend college full-time. If you are planning to take less than 12 credits fall term, please contact us. The intent of the Leadership 1000 Scholarship is to fund students who will be enrolling full-time (12+ credits) each term to complete their bachelor’s degrees within 4 years. Students who are enrolled less than full-time at the time of application are eligible to apply, as long as they are planning to enroll full-time the following term.

Can I apply for this scholarship if I’m not planning to obtain a bachelor’s degree?

To be eligible, students must be planning to obtain a 4-year bachelor’s degree. You may start at a 2-year college but must transfer to a 4-year college/university within 2 years.

Will I still be able to receive the scholarship if I transfer to another college or attend a different college than I originally reported on my application?

It depends. Donors can choose to have their scholarship support a student attending a particular college/university. If you were selected on that basis, you will be told upon selection. If you choose to transfer to another college/university, you will forfeit the scholarship. If your donor did not specify a particular college/university, then you may transfer to another institution without penalty provided you meet all the other eligibility criteria.

May I major in more than one degree and still be eligible for the scholarship?

If you are enrolled in two degrees concurrently, you will only receive payment for study in one of your majors.

Application

I am a Running Start student. How should I complete the application?

If you are a Running Start student, please ask your high school to make sure your Running Start courses are included.

I am not sure what college I will be attending in the fall. What college should I put on the application?

If you have applied to more than one college, you may not know by the application deadline which college you will be attending in the fall. If you are still deciding which college you’ll be attending, please complete the application with your current first choice. Students who are selected to receive the scholarship will be asked to complete an online scholarship acceptance form in May; at that time, you will be able to confirm the college you will be attending.

I have AP and/or IB courses, are those courses counted towards my class level?

Once you are in college and your college accepts your AP and/or IB courses as part of your degree program, then you will count those AP and/or IB credits to determine your class level. Generally, the college lists the credits they have accepted on your transcript.

How can I update information on my application once it has been submitted?

Once you have submitted your application, you cannot make corrections or provide updates through the online application portal. If you need to update the information you provided, please email us the corrections or changes. Be sure to include in your email your full name, date of birth, preferred phone number, and school or college you have last attended.

Selection

How will recipients be selected?

College Success Foundation (CSF), as program administrator, will make selection decisions based on information provided by students in their applications. Selection decisions may be made using a variety of factors provided in the applications, such as:

• Student grade point average (GPA) at the time of application
• Scored essay questions
• Scored recommender form and letter

I don’t meet all of the criteria to apply this year but think I may next year. Can I re-apply then?

In some cases, you may apply again next year.

If I am not selected this year, will I be able to re-apply again next year?

In some cases, you may apply again next year.

May I apply for more than one scholarship administered by College Success Foundation (CSF)?

Yes, you may apply for more than one scholarship administered by CSF. Please visit the CSF website for all scholarship opportunities.

How many years can I receive the scholarship?

The length of time you are eligible to receive scholarship funding will depend on the length and amount stipulated in the Award Notification that is emailed to you. The Leadership 1000 scholarship can be for 1-4 years depending on student standing and funds available.

What are some expectations I must comply with as a Leadership 1000 scholar?

This document describes what you can expect from College Success Foundation and what College Success Foundation expects from you to ensure you achieve your academic goals. This information was provided to you when you accepted the scholarship. We know it’s been a while, so we are linking it here for your review.  

Disbursement

When is my check going to be mailed?

Your check is cut the day listed in the “Payment Information” section of this site. You can also check a customized email sent to you in July confirming your school of attendance, disbursement amounts and disbursement dates of your scholarship.

I don’t see my scholarship check applied to my account. What can I do?

We recommend you give it 10 business days for the check to arrive in the mail at your school and for your school to apply your funds to your account. If after 10 business days from the date published in the “Payment Information” section you contact your financial aid office and they tell you they haven’t received your scholarship, please contact us so that we can cancel that check and issue a new one. It is also possible that you transferred schools but have not notified us. In this case, we will wait to receive the funds back before we can re-route them to the correct institution.

How will my dollar amount award be disbursed?

Awards are divided in equal amounts per academic term based on the number of credits you are enrolled. We assume fulltime enrollment unless you or your school let us know otherwise. We cannot disburse full year awards in just one term.

Accepting or Declining Your Scholarship Offer

Next Steps

ALL students who received a scholarship offer letter should complete this form, whether or not they are accepting the scholarship.

• Students who are accepting the scholarship will have the opportunity to review and accept the terms of the scholarship. Failure to complete the acceptance form by the deadline may result in losing your scholarship.
  • Upload your donor thank you note (instructions below).
• Students who are declining the scholarship must also complete the form to formally decline the scholarship.

Accept/decline your scholarship

Deadline: April 30, 2026

Thanking Your Donor

Scholarship recipients receiving the L1000 Scholarship must complete a thank you note for their donor.

Scholar Update/Thank You Template & Instructions

2025 Orientation documents

• PowerPoint Presentation
• Recording

End of Year/Renewal Form for Leadership 1000 Scholars

Instructions

ALL Leadership 1000 scholars must complete the end of year form and donor update each Spring to let us know whether or not they will be renewing the scholarship for the following academic year. 

In the form, you will be able to indicate to us whether:

• You are renewing your Leadership 1000 Scholarship for the next academic year;
• You are petitioning for a 5th year of funding after exhausting your award;
• You have graduated with a bachelor’s degree; OR
• You are not renewing the scholarship because you no longer meet the renewal criteria.

If you are graduating or not planning to renew, please complete the end of year form and donor update to formally decline the scholarship.

The form will be open on May 1, and must be completed by the June 30 deadline every year. Failure to complete this process by the deadline may result in losing your scholarship.

Complete your form

Continued Eligibility Requirements

To continue receiving the Leadership 1000 Scholarship, recipients must meet the eligibility criteria below. Your scholarship will be cancelled if you do not meet all the requirements:

1. You must be enrolled at least half-time (6 credits) each term in the academic year at an eligible Washington state college or university.
   • You are not required to enroll summer term. However, if you are considering enrolling summer and would like to inquire about available funding, please contact the scholarship services team. If you have extenuating circumstances that require you to take a term off, please contact us.
2. You must continue to pursue a bachelor’s degree (i.e. four-year degree). You may start your education at a community college, but your ultimate goal should be obtaining a four-year degree. After you graduate with your first bachelor’s degree, you are not eligible for further L1000 funding.
3. Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policies.
4. File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the free Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WASFA) by November 1 every year.
5. Demonstrate financial need as defined and determined by your financial aid office. CSF reserves the right to review your financial aid need and your scholarship may be forfeited if that need is fully met through other resources.
6. Complete the annual renewal process by June 30:
   • fill out the end-of-year form online;
   • upload the donor update;
   • upload an unofficial college transcript.

Students who do not complete this process may lose their scholarship.

The following are not requirements for renewal; however, we recommend that you:

• Keep contact information current so we can stay in touch with you regarding your scholarship. If there are any changes to your email, phone, or address please send updated information in an email.
• Watch for emails from us: You may receive requests to attend events or participate in media activities. If so, we hope you will participate! You can also serve as a role model or mentor to other students.
• Please check your spam settings—be sure to add scholarshipservices@collegesuccessfoundation.org as an approved sender if needed.

Deadline: The form will open on May 1 and must be completed by June 30 every year.

Scholar Update Instructions

Continuing scholarship recipients receiving the Leadership 1000 Scholarship must complete a scholar update for their donor.

Scholar Update Template & Instructions

Leadership 1000 Scholarship Petition

Leadership 1000 Scholars may be eligible to submit a petition when experiencing extenuating circumstances that are directly impacting their education. Some reasons include, but are not limited to:

• Major requiring 5th year of enrollment
• Study abroad program
• Temporary transfer to a 2-year institution
• Summer quarter funding
• Additional financial need due to unforeseen and extenuating circumstances

For more information, review the Scholarship Petition FAQs. Completed petitions are subject to review by the Leadership 1000 Committee. Appeals are considered on a case-by-case basis. Not all appeals will be granted. Funding is limited.

If you are interested in learning more about the scholarship petition process, please email us with the subject “L1000 Scholarship Petition”. You can also see examples of petitions below:

Scholarship Petition Example 1
Scholarship Petition Example 2

Questions?

Contact Scholarship Services about the emergency funds eligibility and application. You can also make an appointment with a scholarship staff member here.

How You Will Receive the Scholarship

We will email you in August to confirm where you will be attending college and the amount you’ve been awarded per term.

Funds can be used for tuition, fees, housing, food, books, transportation and personal expenses as detailed in the cost of attendance.

Your scholarship check will be sent directly to the financial aid office at your college following this schedule:

Schools and students will receive an email confirming funds distributions two weeks prior to the actual disbursement day.

Please allow processing time for the college/university to apply the scholarship funds to your student account and revise your financial aid. In some cases, the funds may not be applied to your account until after the start of the term. Please follow up with your college/university’s financial aid office to determine the timing of the scholarship payment.

Your scholarship will be divided equally over the number of terms of enrollment at your college/university. You must be enrolled full-time and meet your college’s Satisfactory Academic Progress policy in order to receive the funding.

If you are not enrolled full-time at the start of the term, your scholarship funding will be delayed until the matter has been resolved. Generally, Leadership 1000 Scholarship recipients must be enrolled full-time each term. As a general rule, when students do not enroll full-time, their award is prorated to reflect their enrollment status. However, if you are planning to enroll in less than 12 credits for a term, please contact us.

Leadership 1000 Scholarship Benefactors

The College Success Foundation Leadership 1000 Scholarship program awards college scholarships to outstanding low-income students in our regions thanks to the generosity of our benefactors.

A Leadership 1000 Scholarship can be customized around a general set of requirements requested by the donor(s) who may establish specific parameters for the scholarship, such as determining a specific area of study, graduation from a particular high school or region, or enrollment at a particular college. In addition, donors may establish a Leadership 1000 Scholarship with a family, foundation or company name and, if desired, may be introduced to the scholar recipient. Benefactors provide a charitable gift of $30,000, payable over four years at $7,500 per year. Donations are 100% tax deductible.

For more information on donating to the L1000 Scholarship program, please email Anna Bennett.

Applicant Questions and Document Submission

If you have questions about your application or to submit supporting documentation, please email us. Include in your email:

• Full name
• Any previous names
• Date of birth
• Preferred phone number
• Preferred email address

This will allow us to identify your application and answer any questions.

Phone: Call toll-free (877) 655-4097 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. PST time Monday through Friday.

If you have trouble logging into the application, please contact the Helpdesk.

Current Scholars

Questions about scholarship disbursements, additional funds, extension of your scholarship, etc.:

• Email us here

Questions about College Support Services:

• Email us here