Holmes County Foundation awards $855,685 in scholarships to 84 students

Holmes County students and renewing college and trade school students will share $855,685 in scholarship support, a sum that reaches 84 recipients and stretches well beyond a routine aid announcement. For many families, that money can mean one less tuition gap, one less loan and one more reason a student can keep moving toward a degree or skilled-trade certificate.

The Holmes County Foundation says the scholarships are part of a broader mission to connect philanthropic resources with local needs and build lasting assets for the future. The organization traces its roots to the Holmes County Education Foundation, created in 1989, and says that since 1991 it has granted more than $12 million for the betterment of Holmes County youth and adults. In 2021, the education foundation expanded into a community foundation, broadening its role in local giving while keeping education at the center.

The foundation says it offers more than 80 scholarships for high school seniors, non-traditional students and graduate students attending universities, colleges and trade schools. Its scholarship page says the 2026-27 application became available Jan. 5, 2026, and that applications are accepted only once each academic year, typically from January through March. The maximum award for any one year is $1,500, a reminder that the total scholarship support is built from many separate awards aimed at helping students bridge real costs.

That structure matters in Holmes County, where families often weigh college against work, transportation, child care and the draw of training that can lead directly into local jobs. The chamber of commerce lists the foundation’s services as financial need-based and merit-based scholarships, professional development grants and alternative grants, a mix that points to more than tuition help. It is also a workforce pipeline, helping students move into fields the county needs and making it more likely that young adults can study, train and eventually return to work closer to home.

The foundation’s next community grants cycle opens Sept. 1, 2026. Its office is at 114 North Clay Street in Millersburg, and the Holmes County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau lists the phone number as 330-674-7303. Public nonprofit data list the organization as a 501(c)(3) formed in 1990, with 2023 assets of $19,297,086, revenues of $880,783 and expenses of $1,074,133.