Weld County makes changes to Bright Futures scholarship program

GREELEY — The Weld County Bright Futures board of directors has made changes to the Bright Futures program.

The changes are designed to make the program more sustainable so it can continue to grow. The Bright Futures program is a scholarship program to financially assist students who pursue post-secondary education or training from accredited institutions or training programs.

Those changes include:

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• Adjusting the annual amount students can receive each year up to $2,000.
• Requiring a completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form to be included with the application.
• Requiring the stipend to be begun within two years and completed within six years of graduation or GED date, rather than requiring it to be used within 10 years of graduation.
• Moving the stipend from “first dollar in” to “last dollar in,” meaning the Bright Futures stipend will be applied in conjunction with all other scholarships instead of initially.
• Requiring an annual 16 hours of community service in Weld County from each student in the program.

The changes will apply to all Bright Futures participants beginning August 2018.

The board also is changing the geographic region Bright Futures covers, limiting it to schools and institutions within Colorado and bordering states that Bright Futures has a memo of understanding with. That change will begin in August 2019 and is designed to strengthen the Weld County workforce.