E-mail: littleitalyfoundation@gmail.com    |    Phone: (410) 685-3116   

 

Application

Little Italy Lodge OSDIA #2286 Foundation, Inc.

La Famiglia Scholarship Program Application – 2025

 

The La Famiglia Scholarship Program provides financial support for educational purposes to Little Italy Lodge members, spouses of a member, children, grandchildren, stepchildren or step grandchildren or wards of a member (designated as legal guardian). The Lodge member applying for or sponsoring an applicant for a scholarship must have been a regular, not a social member, member in good standing as of January 1, 2024.

 

The Program provides financial support to graduating high school seniors planning to continue their education on a full-time basis at an accredited two-or four-year college or university and to students who are currently enrolled full-time (at least 12 college credits per semester or a lesser course load as prescribed by The Americans with Disabilities Act). Scholarships are only offered for undergraduate studies. Each year, the Program will establish the number and amounts of awards to be made. All applicants may reapply in future years but a maximum of four awards can be made to the same individual.

Please Read the Application before Submitting the Form. Not meeting the requirements and eligibility will disqualify your application.

 2025 – Scholarship Application (PDF)           

 2025 – Scholarship Application (MS WORD)

Application Requirements and Evaluation Procedures

  1. These applications requirements and submit form are available online at the website page https://littleitalyfoundation.org/application/. Use the 2025 Submit Lodge Foundation Essay Form to provide the required information and your essay. The submit form can be accessed via that page too. Only this electronically submitted form will be considered; printed applications will not be acknowledged.
  2. The application evaluation scoring procedures consist of three ratings obtained by consideration of 1.) the applicant’s academic achievement (Transcripts), 2.) Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) information., and 3.) the quality of an essay provided by the applicant.
  3. All award payments will be sent directly to the educational institution and may be applied only to the tuition, fees, and on-campus room and board for the 2025-2026 academic year.

La Famiglia Scholarship Program Application Process            

This document contains the information needed to apply to the La Famiglia Scholarship Program. The following requirements and instructions are to be complied with:

  1. Be sure to complete all items that pertain to the applicant and sponsor on the 2025 Submit Lodge Foundation Essay Form.
  2. The applicant is responsible for arranging to have transcripts for a minimum of the last three semesters mailed directly to the DESIGNATED RECIPIENT from the school(s) attended as indicated in this application. Transcripts must be received by May 31, 2025. Transcripts received after this date will not be considered. Transcripts (directly from school) can be mailed or emailed to:

Gary Molino, Designated Recipient
La Famiglia Scholarship Program
3 Covert Ct.
Timonium, MD 21093-2016

La Famiglia Scholarship Program
e-mail: littleitalyfoundation@gmail.com

3. Use the online 2025 Submit Lodge Foundation Essay Form to provide your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) information. You can provide a copy of the FAFSA Submission Summary with the Student Aid Index (SAI) or the FAFSA Student AID Report with the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). No specific personal family income or net worth information is included in these documents. Providing the FAFSA information is optional. If the applicant and/or the applicant’s family choose not to file the FAFSA Form, the area of financial need will receive NO CREDIT for financial need, which is one of the three factors considered during the application evaluation process.

4. Use the online 2025 Submit Lodge Foundation Essay Form to provide your application and all supporting information, which must be submitted no later than May 31, 2025. Please visit https://littleitalyfoundation.org/application/ for submission information and the on-line form. Early submission is strongly encouraged.

All identifying information will be deleted on copies of the original by the Designated Recipient, who is not part of the evaluation process. The Evaluation Team will not know the names of the sponsors and applicants until all applications are evaluated and the recipients are selected.

Awards will be paid to the educational institution by September 1, 2025 upon the Program Treasurer’s receipt of an itemized bill from the applicant’s institution.

 

   Eligibility Requirements

  1. The sponsor must have been a regular member, not a social member, in good standing of the Little Italy Lodge #2286 Order of Sons and Daughters of Italy in America as of January 1, 2024.
  2. The applicant must be a member of the Little Italy Lodge, spouse of a member, child, grandchild, stepchild or step-grandchild or ward of a member who is designated as legal guardian.
  3. The applicant must be a full-time student (defined as enrolled for at least 12 credits per semester or a lesser course load as prescribed by The Americans with Disabilities Act) in good standing with a grade point average (GPA) of a minimum of 2.5 on a grading scale of 4 (or equivalent). The applicant must have been accepted for enrollment at an accredited two (Junior or Community College) or four-year university or college located in the United States for the 2025-2026 academic year.
  4. The applicant is encouraged to file the FAFSA Form. See item 3. under La Famiglia Scholarship Program Application Packet.
    Those not filing the FAFSA Form can skip that question on the on-line application form.
  5. All awards are contingent on the verified accuracy of the information provided by the applicant and sponsor.

 

 Procedure for Applying for a Scholarship

Link to 2025 Essay Submission Form

  1. Use the 2025 Submit Lodge Foundation Essay Form to provide the required information and your essay.
    Access to the form can be found on the Foundation website page: https://littleitalyfoundation.org/application/. The form must be submitted no later than May 31, 2025.
  2. High school or college/university transcripts covering the most recent past three semesters must be forwarded directly to the Designated Recipient from the respective school(s). Transcripts provided personally by the applicant will not be accepted and a minimum of three semesters of the latest high school or college transcripts must be submitted. The transcripts must be forwarded to the DESIGNATED RECIPIENT by May 31, 2025, at the following home or email address:Gary Molino, Designated Recipient
    3 Covert Ct.
    Timonium, MD 21093-2016

La Famiglia Scholarship Program
e-mail: littleitalyfoundation@gmail.com

3. The essay submitted must between 750 and 1000 words, addressing this year’s topic:

 Region of Origin & Cultural Practices

“Many Italian American families can trace their roots back to a specific region in Italy. Investigate your family’s region of origin, noting any special customs, dialects, dishes, or festivals unique to that area. Compare how those traditions are practiced (or remembered) in your household today. Discuss which elements you’d like to preserve, adapt, or leave behind as you grow into adulthood.”

The Essay Evaluators will judge each essay on (a) the basis of the author’s ability to logically develop his or her rationale for the response, with appropriate examples and support, (b) the logical organization of his or her arguments and other support for the position taken, (c) the quality and accuracy of the writing style, including word usage, syntax, spelling, grammar and, as appropriate, citations, and (d) overall readability and audience engagement. The 750-word minimum and the 1000-word maximum will be strictly enforced.

The Designated Recipient will delete all names and references on the corresponding documents that are copied from the original which identify the applicant, the sponsor or the applicant’s family before it is forwarded for evaluation.

If any questions arise while completing the application, please contact us at littleitalyfoundation@gmail.com

    Financial Award

  1. The La Famiglia Scholarship Program will determine the amount of each financial award.
  2. All awards payments will be forwarded directly to the institution the applicant will be attending no later than September 1, 2025, and can be applied only to tuition, fees and on-campus room and board.
  3. Financial awards are for one year only. Applicants may reapply on an annual basis. Awards to the same individual are limited to a maximum of four years.

The award recipients will be notified by email and are expected to attend a regularly scheduled monthly Lodge General Meeting to be introduced to the membership and to acknowledge receipt of the scholarship. Those not selected for an award will also receive notice by email.