Financial Aid Award - 2026

Welcome to Pave HER Way's Financial Aid Application Portal. 

The Financial Aid Award provides financial assistance to eligible women who aspire to make a difference in the world, but need financial assistance to remove personal barriers that prevent them from achieving educational and career success. Awards are made based on equitable evaluation, financial need, and alignment with the organization’s mission.

Please read these program guidelines carefully before submitting your application. 

To be eligible to apply for the Financial Aid Award, applicants must meet all of the following requirements at the time of submission. 

• Identify as a woman
• Be at least 18 years old
• Be a U.S. legal citizen or permanent resident of the United States
• Not be a relative of an officer, employee, or member of the Pave HER Way Board of Directors

If you advance to the semifinalist stage, you will be required to provide one of the following documents to verify your eligibility:

• U.S. passport or passport card
• U.S. birth certificate
• Certificate of Naturalization (N-550 or N-570)
• Certificate of Citizenship (N-560 or N-561)
• Permanent Resident Card/Green Card (I-551)

Failure to provide acceptable documentation will result in disqualification.

Pave HER Way offers the following types of Financial Aid Awards: 

Category 1: Scholarship Grants - For tuition, fees, and other qualified educational expenses incurred while attending an eligible educational institution.

Category 2: Education, Training & Professional Development - Certificate/workforce training, conferences, workshops, professional events, mentorship or apprenticeship expenses.

Category 3: Essential Living Expenses - Routine or ongoing expenses necessary to meet basic needs, such as food, rent, and transportation.

Category 4: Family Stability & Emergency Assistance - Expenses arising from caregiving responsibilities, an emergency, or an unexpected hardship, such as childcare, medical expenses, utility assistance, disaster recovery, or emergency housing assistance.

Within the application, you will be asked to select the category that best describes how you plan to use the requested funds. You may choose more than one category. Please note that Category 1 Scholarship Grants are disbursed to the eligible educational institution you select, whereas Categories 2, 3, and 4 Grants are disbursed to the individual recipient -- in which case the award will be taxable to you.

For our 2026 inaugural cycle, up to 10 grants will be awarded for up to $30,000 per award. Applicants will be notified of decisions no later than December 31, 2026.

All Financial Aid Awards will be disbursed over a 24-month period, so budget proposals must include expenses that cover no longer than a 24-month period starting January 2027.

The Selection Committee will perform a closed review process for the Financial Aid Award. The Selection Committee has access to all the information applicants submit in their application, but are prohibited from conducting independent research on any applicant, outside of the information the applicant has provided.

All submissions will be considered final. Applications submitted with incomplete or incorrect materials will be automatically disqualified. For 2026, you may apply for either the Financial Aid Award or the Disruptor Award, but not both. If you submit an application for both the Financial Aid Award and Disruptor Award, both applications will be automatically disqualified. Please review your application carefully before submitting. 

If you experience technical difficulties with the application platform, please contact Submittable Support directly.

Please be sure to safelist notification emails from Submittable and check the email you used to sign up for your Submittable Account regularly.

For further grant-specific questions regarding eligibility, requirements, or funding, please contact Pave HER Way at apply@paveherway.org.