Daniels Fund Application

The Daniels Scholarship Program helps make college possible for motivated and ambitious students.The Daniels Fund Committee is looking for students with great potential, strong character, big dreams, and values that align with the man behind it all, Bill Daniels. Daniels Scholars® are America’s next generation of leaders, persevering through life’s challenges and committed to making a difference in the world around them. They are independent and entrepreneurial thinkers who are proud of their country and their communities and work hard to improve them.

What are the selection criteria for the Daniels fund program?

Bill Daniels was a cable television pioneer known for his compassion for those in need and his unwavering commitment to ethics and integrity. Bill loved America dearly. He fought in two wars to defend our country and the freedoms we enjoy today. Bill Daniels was also passionate about the free enterprise system, which he believed provided the best opportunity to help people improve their lives.

Daniels Scholars are selected because they embody the criteria Bill Daniels defined for the program:

Strength of character

Leadership potential

Commitment to serving their communities

Academic performance or promise

Well-rounded personality

Emotional maturity and stability

Bill Daniels would also want his scholars to uphold the values that meant so much to him. Those values include ethics and integrity, honesty, respect for people, loyalty and reliability, entrepreneurial spirit, patriotism and dedication to community, commitment to excellence, and etiquette.

What does the Daniels fund program cover?

The Daniels Scholarship, along with generous contributions from partner schools, covers the full cost of attendance (COA) at partner schools within Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.* A full list of partner schools is available here. Scholars that choose to attend a school outside our 4-state region receive up to $25,000 a year for qualified educational expenses.

Funds can be used towards:

Tuition and fees

Room and board

Books and supplies

Miscellaneous educational expenses

Daniels Scholars also receive a laptop computer and support before, during, and after college

$7,500 annually for schools within a four-state region outside of partnership agreements.

Eligibility for Daniels Fund Program

To be eligible for the Daniels Scholarship Program, students must meet the following requirements at the time of application:

Be a graduating high school senior

Be a resident of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, or Wyoming

Be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States

Earn a minimum Grade Point Average of 3.0 in high school (on an unweighted 4.0 scale)

Earn a minimum SAT Math score of 490 and a minimum Evidence-Based Reading & Writing

a score of 490, or a minimum ACT score of 18 in each category (writing score not required).

Meet financial eligibility requirements as described below.

Financial Eligibility Details

In order to be eligible for the Daniels Scholarship Program, applicants must demonstrate financial need through Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) of $100,000 or less on the 2023 federal tax return on which the applicant is claimed as a dependent and review of other assets. If there are additional dependents, beyond the applicant, claimed on the 2023 tax return, we allow for $10,000 of additional income for each additional dependent.**Where can the Daniels Fund Program be used?**Daniels Scholars may attend any two-year or four-year, nonprofit, accredited college or university in the United States. Scholars must intend to complete a bachelor's degree, and those starting at a two-year college must be on a path to earning a bachelor's degree. Daniels Scholarships may not be used at technical or trade schools, or for participation in certificate programs.

Why apply?

If you attend a partner school within our four-state region (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming), the Daniels Scholarship and your university work together to cover your full cost of attendance!* You can also choose to attend an eligible school outside our four-state region and receive $25,000 per year. Additionally, as a Daniels Scholar, you’ll receive:

A new laptop computer

Support from our dedicated team

Leadership development opportunities

Community involvement opportunities

Career advancement opportunities

*$7,500 annually for schools within 4-state region outside of partnership agreement.

Application Process and Timeline

Applications must be submitted online through the application website between September 16 and October 18, 2024

Applicants invited to participate in the Semi-Finalist phase will be asked to submit essay question responses and letters of recommendation between October 28 and November 15, 2024

During the process, applicants will be required to submit documents verifying eligibility including their parent(s) or legal guardian(s) 2023 federal tax return, ACT/SAT scores, citizenship and residency documentation, proof of college enrollment for additional claimed dependent(s) and FAFSA Submission Summary. We recommend that all students complete the FAFSA as soon as possible after it opens.

All Semi-Finalists will be notified in January whether or not they have been selected as a finalist, and finalists will be invited to participate in a personal interview. Interviews are conducted in February and March by local community leaders.

Daniels Scholars are announced in late March and must attend our scholarship orientation conference in June (for which all expenses are paid by the Daniels Fund).

What is the Boettcher Scholarship?

The Boettcher Scholarship is a merit-based scholarship for Colorado high school seniors that is awarded in partnership with our state’s four-year, nonprofit institutions of higher education. At Boettcher, we define merit to mean superior scholastic ability/intellectual curiosity, leadership, service, character, and more. We care deeply about lived experience and the context in which a student has thrived as a leader, either because of or in spite of personal circumstances. The comprehensive scholarship program has two models—Cost of Attendance and Tuition & Fees—that support the Foundation’s mission to invest in the promise of Colorado and potential of Coloradans.

What are the eligibility requirements?

Students are eligible to apply for a Boettcher Scholarship if they meet the following minimum criteria: Be a graduating Colorado high school senior who has lived in Colorado for your full junior and senior years of high school;Apply during the fall of what is your final year of high school, even if you are considering taking a gap year after graduation; Graduate from a Colorado high school; ANDBe a citizen, legal permanent resident, or lawfully present (including through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)  in the United StatesORMeet the requirements and have applied or started the process of applying for citizenship, legal status or lawful presence. (Although students can be in the application process for citizenship, legal status, or lawful presence during the Boettcher selection timeframe, in order to become a Boettcher Scholar, you must provide documentation that shows you have successfully completed the process.)

How to access the scholarship application?

Applications can be accessed through our website on the Scholarship Application page. Applications open in early September and are due no later than 5:00 p.m. on November 1 of your senior year. Your high school counselor will need to fill out additional forms and submit an official transcript within a week after you submit your application, so we encourage you to be in frequent communication with your counselor to ensure that all deadlines are met. As a reminder, we are not requiring ACT or SAT scores, though if you have test scores your counselor will be able to report them on your behalf. Ensuring that all application materials are submitted by the appropriate deadline is your responsibility.

What is the timeline for applying for the Boettcher Scholarship?

Boettcher Scholarship applications open in early September and are due no later than 5:00 p.m. on November 1 of your senior year. Applications can be accessed on our Scholarship Application page.All applicants are notified of their status via email. Semifinalists will be selected in mid-December and asked to submit two letters of recommendation. Approximately 100 finalists will be notified via email in February and will be interviewed in March. Soon after the finalist interviews, the winners are notified — 42 for the class of 2021 and 50 for the classes of 2022 and beyond.