SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

CFC, INC WOMEN IN HEALTHCARE SCHOLARSHIP (WEST AFRICA)

Scholarships for young women from West African Countries to study Nursing, Laboratory Technology, or Healthcare related program and Education or a closely related teaching degree at the undergraduate level in any of the City University of New York (CUNY)

Applications for 2026 are now open. The deadline to apply will be at 11:59 PM PT on Sunday, March 22, 2026.

Overview

The Women in Healthcare Scholarship was established to help aspiring students pursuing healthcare and educational degrees excel in the healthcare industry and become leaders in the field in the West African Region. Selected students will receive a full scholarship of $10,000 USD or more for each school year of the study. The Women in Healthcare Scholarship will be awarded based on the strength of each candidate’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, demonstrated leadership, and academic performance

The program is open to women who meet all the minimum qualifications, and we strongly encourage students that identify with groups historically excluded from the healthcare industry and educational opportunities, including Women from low-income areas, to apply. Applicants are not required to currently be enrolled in an Associate, Bachelor, or Master’s program to apply. Other relations of the recipients of the Women in Healthcare Scholarship are not eligible to apply.

Who can apply?

To be eligible to apply, applicants must:
Intend to be enrolled in or accepted as a full-time student in a Bachelor, or Master’s program at any of the CUNY school systems.
Be studying Nursing, Education, or a closely related healthcare or educational program
Demonstrate a strong academic record
Demonstrate financial need
Exemplify leadership and demonstrate a passion for improving the representation of underrepresented groups in healthcare and education

Application process

You will be asked to complete an online application which includes:
General background information (e.g., contact information and details about your current and intended universities)
Family and household information
Resume/CV
Academic transcripts from your current (if you are currently enrolled) and prior institutions (if you have earned a prior degree)
Responses to three short answer essay questions
Recipients will be selected based on the overall strength of their essays and application materials compared to the entire applicant pool or respective academic peers (e.g., high school students compared to other high school students).

Essay Questions:
The three short answer essay questions below are intended to assess your demonstrated leadership, commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and financial need. Each response to the three questions below should be 500 words or less.

1) Please give us one example of how you have exhibited leadership. Explain what you were trying to achieve, your role, how you influenced others, and the impact as a result of your actions. Think broadly and examine the many ways you are having an effect on the members of the different communities you are a part of. Keep in mind, the example you choose does not need to be a formal or traditional leadership role.

2) What is a significant challenge that impacts historically excluded groups in the field of healthcare and what do you believe is the root cause of this challenge? What actions have you taken to address this challenge? Keep in mind that impact can happen in many ways and at different scales. Please focus at least half of your response on the actions you have taken.

3) Describe any financial circumstances affecting your need for a scholarship. In your answer be sure to describe any obstacles you have overcome to get to where you are today. What goals will this scholarship enable you to accomplish?

IMPORTANT: Before starting the application, please have the following ready for upload:

A PDF copy of your resume (if applicable, please include leadership positions, extracurricular activities, and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts on your resume)

A PDF copy of your current or most recent transcript (unofficial is acceptable)

A PDF copy of your three short answer responses
Application deadline: Sunday, March 22, 2026, at 11:59 PM PT

Terms and conditions

The Women in Healthcare Scholarship award must be spent on tuition, fees, books, supplies, and equipment required for the student’s classes at the CUNY. Scholarship recipients must be enrolled as full-time students for the academic year. Enrollment will be verified before the winners are selected, and all scholarship payments will be made directly to the student to be used towards tuition and education-related expenses. Students under the age of 18 at the time of acceptance must have a parent or guardian sign these scholarship award terms & conditions. We will withhold the award for any scholar who no longer meets the eligibility requirements and revoke the award for any scholar who does not maintain the eligibility requirements. Selected recipients will receive instructions from CFC, INC on how to receive the award. Failure to complete these steps by the specified deadline will disqualify recipients from receiving the award. Recipients may defer their award for up to one (1) year from the time of originally planned payment on a case-by-case basis as determined by CFC, INC. Persons who are not (1) residents of West African countries, (2) ordinarily not resident in ECOWAS countries, or (3) otherwise prohibited by any applicable immigration controls and sanctions may not apply for this scholarship.

Questions
If you have any specific questions, please email cfcatholics@gmail.com
We’re happy to address any questions directly related to the Women in Healthcare Scholarship but are unable to respond to other inquiries. We will not respond to spam, barraging messages, or messages that are primarily inflammatory or exploitative in nature.