SCHOLARSHIP AWARD

The Pinellas County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #43 will award two (2) scholarships in the amount of $1,000 each for the 2026 academic year.

These scholarships are available to graduating high school seniors and/or vocational school students who plan to enroll or continue their education at an accredited institution of higher learning within the United States. Accredited law enforcement academies qualify under this program.

Eligibility Requirements

• Applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

• The applicant must be the child of a member in good standing of the Pinellas County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #43.
• The member parent must have maintained good standing for a minimum of two (2) consecutive years prior to the scholarship application filing date.
• The applicant must be:
  • A graduating high school senior, or
  • Currently enrolled in continuing education at an accredited institution of higher learning.
• Proof of acceptance or current enrollment at an accredited institution must be submitted with the application.
• The applicant must provide documentation verifying a cumulative high school grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.

• Limit: No individual may receive more than four (4) scholarships from the Pinellas County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #43.

Essay Requirements

        All applicants must submit an original essay addressing the assigned topic.

• Essay length must be 500–600 words.
• Essays will be evaluated based on:
  • Ccontent
  • Grammar
  • Spelling
  • Clarity
  • Overall presentation
• Handwritten essays will not be accepted.
• Use of Wikipedia or similar reference sources will result in disqualification.
• Any essay found to contain plagiarism, in whole or in part, will be disqualified.
• Applicants who submit plagiarized work will be permanently ineligible to reapply.
• The applicant’s signature certifies that the essay is entirely original.

• Important:

1.   The applicant’s name or any identifying information must not appear on the essay itself.

2.   Identifying information must appear only on the application.

3.   For impartial evaluation, the FOP Lodge #43 President or designee will assign a number to each essay prior to review.

Submission Requirements

• The completed scholarship application and essay must be submitted together in one packet.
• Incomplete submissions will not be considered.
• All submitted materials become the property of FOP Lodge #43.
• The scholarship application will be available on the FOP Lodge #43 website.
• Essays will be reviewed by a three-member panel appointed by the Board of FOP Lodge #43.
• Applicant identities will be removed prior to evaluation.

Deadlines

All application materials must be postmarked no later than 5:00 PM on April 25, 2026.

Any submission received after this deadline will not be considered.

The final deadline for all scholarship materials is April 30, 2026.

Mailing Address

• The applicant shall submit all documents to:

FOP Lodge 43 Scholarship Committee

550 Commerce Drive

Largo Florida 33770

Attn: FOP President

Notification

Scholarship recipients will be notified by both telephone and mail.

All decisions of the Scholarship Committee are final.

2026 ESSAY TOPIC

How has having a parent in law enforcement impacted your life and shaped who you are today?

APPLICATION DOWNLOAD (PDF)