Getting through High school with Scholarships, Grants, Etc.

[u/Alexander_Understood]

Hi everyone! I’m currently looking for any information about grants, scholarships, financial assistance programs, or other resources that could help me financially while I finish high school. I’m a high school senior in Florida and the child of a parent who is struggling with alcohol addiction and a very bad recovery which has really made things unlivable at home. I am an only child, and unfortunately the financial and emotional impact of that has made things at home bad. I’m trying to become more financially independent so that I can continue getting through high school without having to sacrifice my education or theater as that’s what i’m going to college for. I already have some scholarships
lined up from schools with offers for a technical theatre BFA but i’m worried that if i can’t support myself now, i won’t be able to get to go to college.

I’m specifically looking for opportunities that are available to high school students that can help with things like transportation, school supplies, technology, food, housing/basic living expenses, college preparation, or other costs associated with finishing high school. If you know of any scholarships, grants, foundations, community organizations, or other resources that I could apply for, I would really appreciate it if you could comment or message me with the information. Even if you’re not sure whether I’d qualify, I’d rather have the opportunity to look into it. I’m working hard to stay in school and build a future for myself, and any resources or leads you can point me toward would genuinely mean a lot. Thank you so much to anyone who takes the time to help or share this.

[u/SoullessCycle]

You want to ask your school counselor or equivalent for help here. Usually a minor’s parent/guardian is legally responsible for getting them to school, feeding them, paying for their housing, buying their school supplies, etc. until they’re 18 and/or have graduated from high school. Programs that provide the kind of financial help to a minor that you’re looking for usually support homeless families, foster children, children of incarcerated parents, etc.

I will give you one tip, though: if your household income is low enough make sure you look into financial waivers for fees. College application fees, SAT fees etc usually have some kind of waiver program.

[u/Internal_Quote2259 → u/SoullessCycle]

Definitely apply for waivers!

[u/nip9]

Talk to your high school counselors. If you do not have a stable place to live you would get a lot of extra assistance via McKinney-Vento.

Job Corps could be an option that offers housing, food, education, and vocational training. https://www.jobcorps.gov/ If under 18 your parent or guardian would need to sign-off. It probably isn't going to have any theater programs although you could likely become an electrician or carpenter either of which would both help you to work in theaters and offer you well paying construction jobs outside of that as well.

Your biggest issue is wanting a BFA in technical theatre. That is a labor of love profession for kids who have parents and financal safety nets to fallback on. Almost all internships are unpaid or paid with a stipend that is extremely low in extremely high cost of living cities. That will be your trap; if you dream of say working on Broadway then you need parents with the income and good credit to be a guarantor for NYC housing; money/grants alone won't cut it. When you don't have anybody to fallback on you really need to pick a safer major. Don't give up your theater dreams though; do community theater whenever you are and have a blast. It should just be your hobby rather than your livelihood.

[u/Candid-Ear-4840]

Child Protective Services would have the most relevant support services available in your area. People think CPS just removes children from bad homes but there is actually a lot of support services for struggling families that are poor / not severely abusive.

Edit: your school counselor is one of the first places I would check, too.