Berkshire Bank Foundation, Inc., one of the charitable arms of Berkshire Bank, announces the 2012 Berkshire Bank Foundation Scholarship Awards Program.  Under the Program, 18 $2,000 scholarships will be awarded to seniors attending a high school in a city or town of Massachusetts, New York and Vermont served by Berkshire Bank and where the bank has a presence.  Children of bank employees are eligible to apply and should contact the Foundation directly for more information.

Available Scholarships:

Vermont: Three (3) $2,000 scholarships are available in Vermont for seniors attending high schools in a city or town where Berkshire Bank has offices.

New York: Five (5) $2,000 scholarships are available in New York for seniors attending high schools in a city or town where Berkshire Bank has offices.

Berkshire County, MA:  Five (5) $2,000 scholarships are available in Berkshire County for seniors attending any high school in Berkshire County.     

Pioneer Valley, MA: Five (5) $2,000 scholarships available in the Pioneer Valley for seniors attending high schools in a city or town where Berkshire Bank has offices. 

Program Guidelines & Priorities: 

* Seeking graduating seniors with a record of volunteerism in the community in non-school sponsored activities and participation in extracurricular school activities.

* Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.0; a total family annual income under $75,000, and plan to attend a 2 or 4 year college or technical school.

* Scholarship funds will be paid in December 2012 or January 2013 for the second semester of the student’s first year and directly to the college, not to the student. It will be the student’s responsibility to submit to the Foundation at that time an invoice for second semester tuition and fees, student ID number and college information.

* Berkshire Bank Foundation will accept only 5 applications per high school. Applicants must have the endorsement of their Guidance Counselor on their application attesting they are a qualified fit for this scholarship program. 

Application deadline is March 28, 2012 by 5:00 p.m. received in the Foundation Office. Late applications will not be accepted.

Mail one copy of a completed typed application package to:                        

(This includes application with signoff by Guidance Department, essay, resume, and school transcript.)                                  

Foundation Scholarship Committee

c/ o Berkshire Bank Foundation, Inc.

P.O. Box 1308

Pittsfield, MA 01202

 (Click for Application)  

The applications will be reviewed and recipients selected by a committee consisting of a team of employee volunteers in April/May 2012. 

Please submit questions via email to scholarshipinfo@berkshirebank.com. In subject line, please state – scholarship question. Thank you!

IMPORTANT… Protect yourself from possible e-mail fraud threats
Berkshire Bank will never request your confidential information through an email. Contact us at 800-773-5601 to verify any email request or to report suspicious emails.