2021 Dates & Deadlines
Friday, January 15, 2021
OPEN Common Application Web Site
9:00 am
The Common Application must be accessed through your OPRFHS Student network account. Always use your school-issued device to guarantee submission.
Friday, February 5, 2021
CLOSE Common Application Web Site
3:30 pm
Impacting Students & Families Since 1924
Since 1924, the Oak Park and River Forest High School Scholarship Foundation has awarded college scholarships to hundreds of OPRFHS graduates who have demonstrated academic excellence, initiative, leadership, and financial need. In recent years, the foundation has increased the number of scholarships that are given each spring, enabled in large part by the generosity of parents, retirees, alumni, and friends of the high school.
In the last 15 years, the Foundation has awarded OPRFHS seniors more than 800 scholarships for post-secondary study. This support makes a meaningful difference to help our students meet the high cost of college tuition.
I would like to thank you wholeheartedly for helping me pursue my passion for theater by awarding me this scholarship. You have no idea what kind of impact it has on me as I go on to life after high school…it gives me the confidence I need.
– Scholarship Recipient
Impactful Giving
Thanks to the generous support from our community, An Evening of Jazz Under the Stars on October 12, 2018 at the home of Mary Jo and Stephen Schuler has raised more than $120,000 to support summer enrichment grants and college scholarships for Oak Park and River Forest High School students. This total includes a generous $50,000 matching gift from an anonymous donor. We are excited about the opportunity to further enrich the lives of youth in our community due to this wonderful event that brought more than 150 guests together to promote student success. The event also inspired one family to establish an endowed renewable scholarship. This four-year $2,000 annual scholarship will benefit a graduating senior who is planning to attend a historically-black college or is a first-generation to college student.
Giving Opportunities
- A gift in recognition of a graduate, a class reunion, an anniversary or other special occasion.
- A donation of $1,000 or more each year allows the naming of an annual scholarship in honor or memory of a loved one.
- An endowed scholarship for a minimum gift of $25,000 ($1,000 first year award – $24,000 endowment). Donors have up to five years to complete the endowment. Donors may also establish selection criteria and name the scholarship.
- A future planned gift through your estate or beneficiary designation via retirement and/or life insurance plans.
For more information about giving opportunities, please contact Melanie Weiss, Foundation Manager, at scholarshipsoprfhs@gmail.com.