Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship

To qualify for the scholarship, a student must:

• Have a parent or guardian who died in the line of duty while performing as a public safety officer (definition listed below);
• Be less than 24 years of age OR enrolled at an institution of higher education at the time of his or her parent’s or guardian’s death;
• Have a valid Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file;
• Be working toward their first bachelor's degree;
• Be Pell-eligible;
• Demonstrate exceptional financial need by having an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of $5,576 or less;
• Attend all courses in order to keep the grant. Failure to attend all courses could result in a reduction of Pell Grant funds;
• Be making Satisfactory Academic Progress;
• Complete and submit the Children of Fallen Heroes Form; and
• Submit supporting documentation (listed below).

Public Safety Officer

• An individual serving a public agency in an official capacity, with or without compensation, as a law enforcement officer, as a firefighter, or as a chaplain.
• An employee of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) who is performing official duties of the agency, if those official duties are related to a major disaster or emergency that has been, or is later declared to exist with respect to the area under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act; and are determined by FEMA to be hazardous duties;
• An employee of a state, local, or tribal emergency management or civil defense agency who is performing official duties in cooperation with FEMA, if those official duties are related to a major disaster or emergency that has been, or is later declared to exist with respect to the area under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act; and are determined by the agency to be hazardous duties;
• A member of a rescue squad or ambulance crew who, as authorized or licensed by law and by the applicable agency or entity, is engaging in rescue activity or in the provision of emergency medical services;
• A fire police officer, defined as an individual who is serving in accordance with state or local law as an officially recognized or designated member of a legally organized public safety agency and provides scene security or directs traffic in response to any fire drill, fire call, or other fire, rescue, or police emergency, or at a planned, special event.

Required Documentation

The student must provide the following documents to the financial aid office.

1. Complete the Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Application.
2. Copy of parent/guardian’s death certificate.
3. Verification that parent/guardian died in the line of duty while serving as a public safety officer:
   1. A determination letter acknowledging eligibility for certain federal benefits under the Public Safety Officers Benefit (PSOB) program administered by the Department of Justice;
   2. A written letter of attestation or determination made by a state or local government official with supervisory or other relevant oversight authority of an individual who died in the line of duty while serving as a public safety officer as defined above;
   3. Documentation of the student qualifying for a state tuition or other state benefit accorded to the children or other family members of a public safety officer consistent with the definition in 42 U.S.C. 3796b, or as a fire police officer as noted above;
   4. A completed Agency Certification Form (page 3) completed by a state or local government official with supervisory or other relevant oversight authority of the individual who died in the line of duty while serving as a public safety officer as defined above; or
   5. Other documentation from a credible source, subject to school determination, that describes or reports the circumstances of the death and the occupation of the parent or guardian.
4. Legal guardianship documentation (if the fallen officer was a guardian and not a parent).
5. Adoption paperwork (if the student was legal adopted).
6. If parent or guardian died when student was older than 24, then provide a copy of unofficial transcript or grade report from institution of higher education showing that student was actively enrolled at the time of parent or guardian’s death.

Notification

Students determined to be eligible for the Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship will receive the maximum Federal Pell Grant for the academic year in which they have completed the required application. A student’s financial aid offer will be revised and sent via email for review.

Note: If the student already receives the maximum Pell Grant due to having a 0 EFC, then there will be no change in the Pell Grant amount.