The Laotian-American Community of Fresno is pleased to announce its acceptance of applications for the 2026 LACF SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. We are seeking candidates that have demonstrated leadership ability, educational promise, and have contributed to the Laotian community.

To be considered for the scholarship, you must submit a completed scholarship application and required documents by August 16th, 2026 and meet the scholarship requirements outlined below. There will be a total of $15,000 awarded. We will offer 10 ($1,500) scholarships for 2026 high school graduates and/or currently enrolled undergrads.

Awardees are required to attend our Annual LACF Gala Fundraiser to be recognized for your achievement and to accept the scholarship. The gala will be held on Saturday, September 5, 2026. Please SAVE the DATE on your calendar.

To receive the full scholarship amount, you must volunteer a minimum of 10 hours with LACF or another approved non-profit organization in very special circumstances. You have one year from the time you are awarded the scholarship to complete these volunteer hours. LACF will retain $500 of your scholarship money until you have completed your volunteer service. Once LACF verifies your volunteer hours, you will receive an additional check for  $500.

Please note: In an effort to support as many students as possible, past LACF Scholarship recipients are ineligible to apply again.

Scholarship Applicant Eligibility and Requirements:

To be eligible for consideration, applicants must complete the scholarship application, submit all required documents by the deadline, and meet the following requirements:

1. Applicants must have at least one parent of Lao descent.
2. Applicants must have recently graduated from an accredited high school in 2026, or a current undergrad college student attending at least part-time (9 units minimum) at an accredited college/university.
3. Applicants must be a resident of Fresno, Madera, Kings, Tulare, Merced or Stanislaus County. A student attending a college out of the area but their hometown is located in the counties listed are accepted. Recent high school graduates must have graduated from a high school in the counties listed above.
4. Applicants must be in good academic standing and have a minimum GPA of 2.75 (high school transcript and/or a recent unofficial college transcript showing recent class schedule and cumulative GPA is required).
5. We are giving special consideration to students with the highest financial need.  Provide a copy of your Financial Aid Student Aid Index (SAI) number.  SAI is a formula-based index number ranging from –1500 to 999999. You can get this document by logging into your FAFSA account, we do NOT need your whole application, just the form with the SAI.

In addition to the application, please submit the following:

• One recommendation letter (from a school counselor, teacher, instructor, or community member—family members are not eligible).
• A two-page essay (double-spaced) that answers the questions outlined below.

Please email LACF@LACFresno.org for any questions or comments.