Process

Applications:  Interested and eligible applicants will submit an application through our online process and upload or have a teacher and/or counselor upload required supporting documents and recommendations in the fall of the applicant’s senior year. The application includes questions and requests statements that will permit the Board of the Foundation to assess each applicant’s qualifications according to the selection criteria.  See What’s New for 2025-2026 for important information.

Review and Selection:  The Board will review the applications and conduct in-person interviews of the finalists.  The recipient(s) will be announced following the interviews.

Scholarship Agreement:  The scholarship recipient will be required to sign a written agreement setting forth the terms and conditions of the scholarship, including: (i) the specific purpose of the scholarship; (ii) its amount and duration; (iii) conditions and procedures for renewal; (iv) the institution to which it will be paid; (v) requirements for reports, if any, including the due dates for such reports; and (vi) any other expectations of the recipient during the scholarship period.

Payment of Scholarship:  Upon deciding which college he or she will attend, the scholarship recipient will notify the Foundation of his or her college choice, and the Foundation will make arrangements to forward a check made out to the scholarship recipient’s institution to the scholarship recipient.

Renewal:  Scholarship recipients must submit transcripts at the end of each quarter/semester for renewal of the scholarship.

Important Dates to Apply in Fall 2025 for Fall 2026 Award

  • Public Meeting at the Pioneer Room, Sullivan Center, Trinidad State College, on Las Animas Goree and Princeton Goree Scholarships with Zoom option:  September 28, 2025, 6:00 p.m.  Speaker will be David Vandermeulen, president of the Mary John Goree Las Animas County Scholarship Foundation. Mr. Vandermeulen’s powerpoint presentations for this year’s public meeting will available on our Resources page after the meeting.
  • Application Opens:  Thursday, October 16, 2025
  • Deadline for Submission of Applications:  Thursday, December 4, 2025, 3:00 p.m. Central
  • Deadline for Submission of Recommendations and Supporting Documents:  Tuesday, December 9, 2025, 3:00 p.m. Central
  • Applicants are Notified of Board’s Decisions on Finalists:  Monday, February 16, 2026
  • Finalist Interviews:  Sunday, March 8, 2026. 
  • Finalists Informed of Board’s Decisions on Recipients and Alternates: Monday, March 16, 2026
  • Deadline for all Recipients to respond to the Foundation’s offer of a scholarship. Deadline for Recipients who are accepting the offer of a scholarship and choosing not to wait on any college waitlist(s) to inform the Foundation of their college choice. Deadline for Recipients who are accepting an offer of a scholarship, but who are choosing to remain on a college waitlist(s), to provide the Foundation with the name(s) of any college(s) where they are remaining on a waitlist. Deadline for all Recipients accepting a scholarship (regardless of whether they are choosing to remain on a college waitlist(s)), to submit required financial information if they are seeking a needs-based award in addition to their minimum award. Monday, May 4, 2026.
  • Deadline for Recipients who have chosen to remain on a college waitlist(s) to provide Foundation with their college choice. Tuesday, June 23, 2026.

Scholarship America

The Board of Directors of the Mary John Goree Las Animas County Scholarship Foundation has contracted with Scholarship America for assistance in administration of the application process.  The Board is responsible for establishing the scholarship process and the selection criteria, reviewing scholarship applications, interviewing applicants and making all scholarship award decisions.  Scholarship America oversees the administrative details of the application process including maintaining the e-application, communicating with applicants regarding the completeness of the application, forwarding the applications to the Board and maintaining the records of the scholarship process.   Appropriate security features have been put into place to maintain the confidentiality of information submitted during the application process.