Criteria for Applying for Scholarships

See our Our Grantees.

Any citizen or permanent resident of the United States with a significant bilateral hearing loss is eligible for consideration by the Foundation, regardless of age, sex, race, geographic location or ethnicity. Criteria used for selection of scholarship recipients ensure that the mission of the Foundation is supported. Financial need will increase the chance of being awarded funds but is only one of many criteria that are taken into account.

Scholarships will be considered only at accredited non-profit schools physically located in the United States, and all funds awarded by the Louise Tumarkin Zazove Foundation will be paid directly to schools. Although undergraduate level of study will be strongly favored, the Foundation may on occasion consider applications for graduate or high school tuition or other appropriate situations.

Selection of scholarship recipients will be made by the Foundation's board of directors or by designees as directed by the board. A completed application form, together with all other documents listed below, is required for the application to be considered. We would prefer that items in #4 and #5 be scanned and sent to earl@ltzfoundation.org. However, they can also be mailed to:

The Louise Tumarkin Zazove Foundation
6858 North Kenneth Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60712-4705

Documents required for an applicant to be considered include, but may not be limited to:

  1. A completed scholarship application form
  2. A copy of the applicant's high school and/or college grades sent directly by the school to the Foundation
  3. At least three letters of recommendation by teachers or others qualified to comment on the educational potential of the applicant, written on the letterhead of the person making the recommendation, each to be mailed by the letter writer directly to the Foundation. If the applicant knows others in a position to write you a recommendation, such a letter would be of interest to our committee. Those letters must be mailed directly to us too
  4. Documentation of the severity of the hearing loss (an audiogram or other verification by a qualified professional)
  5. The previous year's federal income tax form of the applicant's family. Please send both parents' income forms if they are separated
  6. Any special circumstances by or about the family

The above should be submitted no later than May 31 for the upcoming school year. Any material sent by the United States Post Office must be postmarked no later than May 31. The May 31 deadline is strictly adhered to, even for documents over which applicants have no direct control such as school transcripts and letters of recommendation. If you apply for a scholarship, please make it clear to your school(s) and all persons writing your recommendation letters that there are no deadline extensions. We will make a reasonable effort to let you know in mid-May if we have not received all required information, but cannot guarantee to do so. If you have any questions, please contact earl@ltzfoundation.org. Should your address, e-mail, or telephone number change after you have applied, please let us know so we can contact you if need be.

All applicants will be notified of the Foundation's decisions by July 31, and funds will be dispersed to the appropriate institution before the school year starts.