Smart Financial Foundation

Ruby Sue Clifton Scholarship

Smart Financial Credit Union is committed to improving the financial lives of its members.  Our Scholarship Program and other financial resources for young adults were created to help members with early financial milestones, such as going to college. Scholarship awards are based on academic achievement, community involvement, leadership and submission of an essay on a topic selected by the Credit Union.

Three $5,000 scholarships will be awarded for the upcoming academic year. The application process for 2026 will open on February 1, 2026.  

Click here to see a recap of the 2025 Scholarship Award Celebration!

Eligibility

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SMART FINANCIAL MEMBER

Applicant (or applicant's immediate family member) must be a member in good standing.

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HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR

Applicant must be a current high school senior aged 14 or older.

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COLLEGE BOUND

Applicant must be able to provide a written letter of acceptance to a university, college, or vocational school.

Required Documents

Before you start, make sure you have the following documents saved on your computer. You will be required to upload them to complete the application!

  • Unofficial Transcript
  • Most Recent Report Card
  • Essay
  • Copy of SAT and/or ACT Scores (*pre-SAT scores will be accepted if student was unable to take the SAT and/or ACT due to COVID-19 restrictions)
  • Documents must be submitted as a Microsoft Word document or a PDF

Before You Start

You cannot save your application and go back at a later time, so make sure you have all the necessary information before you start!

  • Smart Financial Account (or Member Number)
  • Class Rank & Class Size
  • GPA
  • SAT and/or ACT Score
  • List of Any Extra Curriculars, Jobs, and Awards
  • Required Documents (See Above)

Essay

Please choose one of the two questions below for your essay. Be sure to follow the essay guidelines outlined in the Scholarship Application Guidelines.

  • Credit Unions have a philosophy of “People Helping People” Community Enrichment. How will your college education and experience help make you a better member of your community?
  • Credit unions are not-for-profit financial institutions whose purpose is to serve its members. How can Smart Financial better appeal to and serve its Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) existing and potential members?

Scholarship FAQs

Local high school seniors must apply online by Tuesday, March 31, 2026 at 11:59pm.

Winners will be notified by June 2026.

In order to apply, applicant must be a Smart Financial Credit Union member in good standing or be an immediate family member of a Smart Financial Credit Union member. A member in good standing is defined as one with a minimum balance of $5 in his or her account and no loan delinquencies. An immediate family member is one within the same household or a grandfather/grandmother.

The easiest way to find your member and/or account number is to look at your statement. To view your statement online, log in to online banking, click "Accounts", then click "Statements".

Academic performance, community involvement, and the applicant's essay are all taken into consideration.

Applications are evaluated by a scholarship committee comprised of five Smart Financial Foundation board members.

All scholarship recipient funds must be paid directly to the college or university.

If you have any questions, please email Shana Scott at sscott@smartfinancialfoundation.org.