The Brave of Heart Scholarship: Supporting Families of Frontline Healthcare Workers

The Brave of Heart Scholarship was established to provide support to families of frontline healthcare workers, volunteers, and support staff whose lives were lost in the fight against COVID-19. This scholarship program aimed to honor the sacrifices made by these essential workers and provide educational opportunities for their spouses, domestic partners, and children. Although this is the final year the Brave of Heart Scholarship will be offered, it's important to understand its eligibility requirements and impact.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for the Brave of Heart Scholarship, applicants must meet specific criteria related to their relationship with a frontline healthcare worker, their educational plans, and other factors.

Relationship to Frontline Healthcare Worker

Applicants must be a child, spouse, or domestic partner of a frontline healthcare worker who lost their life to a COVID-19-related cause. A "child" is defined as a biological, step-, or legally adopted child who is age 26 and under as of the application deadline date. The child must be living in the frontline healthcare worker's household or primarily supported by the frontline healthcare worker.

Definition of Frontline Healthcare Worker

A frontline healthcare worker is defined as a person who lived in the United States at the time of death and worked or volunteered in or for a licensed hospital, medical center or clinic, nursing home, medical transport vehicle, triage center, or other licensed medical facility, provider, or setting. This also includes those who worked or volunteered as an emergency medical technician, ambulance technician, or paramedic. The individual must have had the possibility of exposure to patients with COVID-19 while working or volunteering. Ineligible occupations include non-medical frontline workers, such as supermarket employees, delivery workers, ride-share drivers, funeral home staff, and police. Firefighters are also ineligible unless certified EMTs or paramedics.

Educational Requirements

Applicants must plan to enroll full-time or part-time in an undergraduate or graduate program at an accredited two- or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school. Graduate programs must have a patient-facing medical major. Non-traditional students are encouraged to apply and will be considered even if they do not have a recent GPA. Applicants must have a minimum grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale or its equivalent.

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Age and Dependency

If the child is enrolled in a graduate school program, they must be age 26 and under and may be financially dependent or independent to be eligible. To continue receiving scholarship assistance beyond age 26, children must then continue to apply for the Brave of Heart Scholarship (uninterrupted) and maintain continuous enrollment in their program (uninterrupted), with the exception of summer vacation. The Brave of Heart Scholarships is available for children who first apply and receive an award by age 26.

Application Requirements

Applicants are required to submit a complete application, including the following:

A current, complete transcript of grades (grade reports are not accepted).
A copy of the first two pages of the most recently filed IRS Form 1040 used for the Financial Information section of the application.
Two essays:

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- Essay 1: What is one significant event or hardship in your life that created an obstacle to accomplishing your academic or career goals? How did this event impact your academic or career path? What actions helped you overcome these challenges?
- Essay 2: Where do you see yourself in 10-15 years? Describe your long-term career goals and objectives.

Scholarship Award Details

If selected as a recipient, the student will receive an award ranging from $2,500 to $10,000. The authorized distribution for new awards will be determined annually by the Brave of Heart Fund. Applicants can receive the award a maximum of eight terms, for four academic years, or through the 2026-27 school year (whichever occurs first). Students who do not demonstrate financial need may receive a one-time honorarium of $5,000. Scholarship America will verify student eligibility, school and program, and calculate financial need.

Administration of the Scholarship

The program is administered by Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarship, tuition assistance, and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Eligibility for individual programs is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsor, and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America’s evaluation team. Scholarship America will process scholarship payments on behalf of the Brave of Heart Fund. Payment is made in one installment in August.

Notification and Payment

All applicants will be notified in late June. Scholarship America will process scholarship payments on behalf of the Brave of Heart Fund. Payment is made in one installment in August.

The Brave of Heart Fund

The Brave of Heart Fund was founded in May 2020 by the Foundations of Cigna and New York Life and administered by E4E Relief. It was established to provide charitable grants and emotional support services to families of frontline healthcare workers, volunteers, and support staff whose lives were lost in the fight against COVID-19.

Impact and Testimonials

The Brave of Heart Scholarship has had a significant impact on the lives of its recipients. Many recipients have shared their stories of how the scholarship has helped them pursue their educational and career goals.

Melody, spouse of a healthcare facility director and studying Counseling, said, "The Brave of Heart Scholarship solidified a way to cut back on my work hours and focus on studies… We hope to open a practice together and bring more care to our community after experiencing our own deep loss of my husband and her father."
Krista, spouse of a physical therapist and studying Nursing, shared, "After losing my husband, and seeing how remarkable the nurses were, I knew that I wanted to go into patient care. I want to spend the working years I have left giving families the care they deserve when they are not well and in pain. I’ll even get to do my clinicals at the hospital where my husband was treated."
Payton, daughter of a healthcare director and studying Biomedical Sciences, aspiring Physician Assistant, said, "My world turned upside down when I lost my mom. She was my biggest academic supporter and I felt completely off track. This scholarship has given me the opportunity to step back from the financial stress associated with continuing my education and allows me to focus on my academic success and personal well-being. I am eager to pursue my career goal and hopefully one day I will be able to assist individuals in a medical setting."

Key Statistics

$8,403,300 awarded in scholarships
435 scholarships awarded
Scholarships were from Brave of Heart Fund relief grant families
Recipients are pursuing studies in healthcare-related fields
Recipients are adult spouses/domestic partners of deceased healthcare workers
Recipients are people of color
32 states are represented

A Final Note

Please note, this is the final year the Brave of Heart Scholarship will be offered. Funding will not be available in future years.

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