The Ham Family Scholarship Fund Presented by Essentia Health will benefit diverse students in the Duluth, MN/Superior, WI areas. The Fund was created in 2022 by Stephanie and CJ Ham, Essentia Health and the NFL Foundation to support students of color in the area and will grow through continued donations from the family and community provide in the years to come.
As a person of color growing up in Duluth, CJ Ham successfully overcame many obstacles in his pursuit for a higher-level education including but not limited to financial distress. The purpose of this scholarship is to encourage and support diverse students in pursuit of higher-level education, while simultaneously aiming to improve BIPOC retention and graduation rates through financial support.
Eligibility
- Individuals identifying as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, person of color)
- Graduate of: Duluth’s Area Learning Center, Duluth Denfeld High School, Duluth East High School, Harbor City International School, Hermantown High School, Lakeview Christian Academy, Marshall School, Proctor High School, Superior High School
- Demonstrate Financial Need
- GPA: 2.5 or higher
- Participate in extracurricular activities or community involvement
Scholarship Grant Range
- $1,000 for one year
Application timeline
- This scholarship is part of the Universal Application: December 1 – February 15
- ONE Universal Application: Create a profile in the scholarship portal. Fill out the first page of the universal application to filter through all of the scholarships you qualify for.
Award Details
- This scholarship may be used for expenses of post-secondary education at any accredited college, university or technical/ vocational school
- Award Payments will be mailed directly to the school/ university
- Fall Payments are mailed July 15-30
- Spring Payments are mailed December 15-30
- Transferring Schools: Please contact DSACF if you plan on transferring schools. Transferring schools does not automatically transfer your scholarship. If a transfer occurs after scholarship money has been disbursed it may take up to 90 days to reprocess the scholarship payment.
Tax information
DSACF encourages scholarship recipients to seek tax advice regarding scholarships. According to the IRS: Scholarships, fellowship grants, and other grants are tax-free if you meet the following conditions:
- You’re a candidate for a degree at an educational institution that maintains a regular faculty and curriculum and normally has a regularly enrolled body of students in attendance at the place where it carries on its educational activities; and
- The amounts you receive are used to pay for tuition and fees required for enrollment or attendance at the educational institution, or for fees, books, supplies, and equipment required for courses at the educational institution.
