Washington Crossing Foundation Scholarship

The Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the annual National Washington Crossing Foundation Scholarship Awards for students completing twelfth grade (or final high school year) in 2026 who are planning careers in government service. Scholarship applicants must be citizens of the United States. The Trustees and Members of the Foundation, mindful of the significance of the important event in our nation’s history that occurred at Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, believe that if our country is to continue to progress, we must have thoroughly trained, dedicated young people to carry on our government’s work in future years.

Each interested student is invited to write a one-page essay stating why he or she plans a career in government service including any inspiration to be derived from the leadership of George Washington in his famous crossing of the Delaware. This essay must be accompanied by a recommendation from the high school principal or guidance counselor evaluating the student’s achievements, along with transcripts, national testing scores, and other supporting information of the applicant’s choice as described in the Official Rules.

We award a variety of scholarships every year. Each scholarship will be paid, as long as the student meets the requirements of the college chosen. Students planning to attend one of the Military Academies or who have been awarded full four-year tuition scholarships will be eligible for an award.

In past years, winners attending will have their expenses paid for transportation, food and housing in Pennsylvania for the weekend, to attend the Scholarship Awards Ceremony. All winners are required to attend the Scholarship Awards Ceremony and Luncheon on Saturday May 2, 2026, to win their scholarship.  The Scholarship Awards Ceremony and Luncheon will begin at 11 am at the Washington Crossing Inn, right next to Washington Crossing Historic Park.

We invite you to explore our website, which contains all of the information candidates should require to prepare and submit an application, including:

• The program’s Official Rules, requirements, and procedures
• A complete, downloadable version of the program information published on this site

Thank you for your interest in our National Scholarship Competition. To be considered for this year’s program, applications must be POSTMARKED no later than January 15, 2026. We highly recommend all applicants send their applications Priority Mail, if at all possible. Last year a number of applications took many weeks to arrive.  Please feel free to contact us with any questions.

Eligibility

Competition open to all high school senior who are U.S. citizens and are planning careers of service to the United States in local, state, or federal government. All awards are for one year.

To Apply

A complete scholarship application must include THREE (3) copies of a double-spaced COVER PAGE containing the following information, double-spaced, in the following order:

• Applicant’s full name (nickname in parentheses)
• Applicant’s home address (street, city, state, zip code)
• Applicant’s home telephone number with area code
• Name of Applicant’s school
• Applicant’s school address (street, city, state, zip code)
• Applicant’s school telephone number with area code
• Number of students in senior class / number of students in school
• Name and title of Principal / Guidance Counselor recommending Applicant
• Name(s) of college(s) preferred: first three choices in order of preference
• How did the Applicant learn of the Scholarship Program? What search engine did you use, if any, to find the Scholarship?
• Is Applicant a high school senior? (Y / N)
• Applicant’s date of birth
• If applicable, PA county of residence (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery)
• Applicant’s home e-mail address
• Applicant’s cell phone number
• Do you have a relative who is/or has served in our Armed Forces? If so, state their relationship to you and when they served

Note: You are welcome to send a photograph with your application.  We highly recommend all applicants send their applications Priority Mail, if at all possible. Last year a number of applications took many weeks to arrive.