Youth Programs and Scholarships
What is Foundation for Rural Service?
The Foundation for Rural Service (FRS), in cooperation with NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association, was founded to enhance the quality of life in America by advancing an understanding of rural issues. Each year, FRS distributes multiple scholarships to an exceptional group of rural students for their first year of college, or vocational school. Rainbow Communications proudly supports their Youth Tour and Scholarship programs, which provide opportunities for the youth who live throughout our service areas.
FRS Youth Tour
In the summer, the FRS Youth Tour brings-together high school students from across rural America to visit our nation’s capital and to learn about rural telecommunications. Rainbow sponsors area high-school students on this all-expense paid trip which covers airfare, registration fees, tour expenses, as well as $150 in spending money. The trip is valued at over $1,800. Watch a video from the 2021 tour.
- Who’s eligible:
- High School students, age 16 or 17 years old at the time of the Youth Tour
- Parents or guardian of student must receive service from Rainbow Communications
- What you’ll see & do:
- The U.S. Capitol
- The White House
- Arlington National Cemetery
- The Lincoln Memorial
- The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
- Mount Vernon
- WWII Memorial
- The Smithsonian Museums
- What you’ll learn:
- How the legislative process and our government works from people who work on Capitol Hill and the FCC
- An overview of the telecommunication industry
- The history of our nation’s capitol: Washington, D.C.
Applications are closed.
Through its various programs and initiatives, the Foundation for Rural Service strongly supports continuing education for youth residing in rural areas across the United States. This year, they will award $2,500 scholarships to rural high school seniors, one per geographic region of the NCTA membership, and one to a student sponsored by an NTCA associate member like Rainbow Communications. The remaining awards will be distributed according to the number of applications received from each region. For local winners, FRS will fund $2,000 of each scholarship awarded and Rainbow Communications will contribute the additional $500. FRS will also provide four Staurulakis Family Scholarships valued at $5,000 each, and two TMS Scholarships for $1,500 each. Another, the Everett Kneece Return to Rural America Scholarship, is valued at $2,500. And lastly, the Colt Ford Scholarship is valued at up to $15,000.
Please consider the following when applying for an FRS Scholarship:
- The application deadline were February 16, 2024.
- Parents/guardians of ALL applications MUST be Rainbow Communications customers.
Applications are currently open for the 2024 FRS Scholarship.