JWC Scholarships


Our Scholarships

Each year the Junior Woman’s Club of Raleigh awards two scholarships:

The Sallie Southall Cotten Scholarship is open to all high school seniors from any Wake County, NC high school.  Winners must attend a college or university in North Carolina to receive the scholarship.

The Dobbins/Bedini Lewis Endowed Scholarship is awarded to an adult in Wake County, NC returning to school to further their education.

Sallie Southall Cotten Scholarship

Each year, the Junior Woman’s Club of Raleigh awards a one-time scholarship in honor of Sallie Southall Cotten, a founder of the North Carolina Federation of Women’s Clubs.

For the 2023 Club Year, the scholarship amount was:  $1,000.

The scholarship is open to all high school seniors from any Wake County, NC high school. Winners are awarded the scholarship if they attend a college or university in North Carolina.

The deadline for consideration for this scholarship is February 1st, 2024.

We are no longer accepting applications for 2024.

Members of our club review all applications received and select a group of finalists to interview. One winner will be awarded the Junior Woman’s Club of Raleigh’s Sallie Southall Cotten Scholarship.

Our Club’s scholarship recipient will compete at the District VI scholarship competition. The recipient is expected to attend the GFWC-NC District VI Arts Festival to be interviewed by a panel of judges to possibly win additional scholarship money. Information about this will be forthcoming. Scholarship interviews will be virtual.

The winner from each District in North Carolina goes on to compete for the State Scholarship of $12,000 which consists of $3,000 per year for four years!

The rules and requirements are as follows:

  • Applicant must be in the upper fourth of his or her class.
  • The scholarship is to be used at a four-year College or University in North Carolina.
  • The student must submit:
    • Application (pdf)
    • Recent photograph
    • A personal letter as to why he/she desires to continue his/her education, his/her future plans, and why financial aid is necessary
    • High school transcript with grades through the first semester of senior year
    • Student’s rank in the senior class and the number of students in the graduating class
    • Grade point average, weighted and unweighted

For any questions, please contact our scholarship chair. Email completed items listed above to: jwcraleigh3300@gmail.com

Dobbins/Bedini Lewis Endowed Scholarship

The JWC Endowment fund was established in 1983 by Marilyn Gardner in honor of outgoing president, Martha L. Dobbins, with the intention of one day funding a scholarship to be awarded to an adult student returning to school to further their education. Fundraisers or campaigns done for this fund go directly to the principal in order to increase the interest created by the fund.

Each year, the interest generated from the fund is reviewed and the scholarship amount is determined. Applications are open to any adult residing in Wake County, NC and pursuing higher education.  Scholarship monies are paid directly to the Financial Aid office of the school the recipient is attending.

The Lynne Bedini-Lewis Endowed Scholarship was established in 2004 by Ben and Peg Bedini in honor of their daughter and outgoing president, Lynne Bedini Lewis.  In 2012 this scholarship was merged into the JWC Endowment fund and the JWC Dobbins/Bedini Lewis Endowed Scholarship was formed. The combining of funds was done in hopes of being able to award a larger scholarship in the future.

For the 2023 Club Year, the scholarship amount was $2,000.

We are no longer accepting applications for 2024.

The Endowment Scholarship Package is now available for the annual JWC Dobbins/Bedini Lewis Endowed Scholarship and candidates will be contacted for an interview in the Spring.

For any questions, please contact our scholarship chair. Email completed items listed above to: jwcraleigh3300@gmail.com