General Information and Eligibility
The Charles Williams Scholarships for Excellence in Music and Visual Arts and Honorable Mention awards in Music and Visual Arts are awarded by the Trustees of The Concord Free Public Library Corporation. Williams Scholars and Honorable Mention designees are selected in the sole discretion of the Trustees upon the recommendations from The Williams Committee, a committee of specialists in music and the visual arts who have been appointed by the Trustees to review scholarship applications, to direct the selection process, and to advise with regard to the management of The Charles Williams Scholarship program.
In making its selections with regard to both Williams Scholars and Honorable Mention designees, The Williams Committee carefully considers each application including responses to the short answer questions, the applicant’s personal statement and the two (2) letters of recommendation submitted on behalf of each applicant. The Williams Committee also carefully reviews each applicant’s artistic or musical submissions. Decisions are made based upon the totality of an applicant’s submissions with no single criterion (letter of recommendation, personal statement, artistic or musical submission, etc.) taking precedence over any other.
In each grant year, The Williams Committee may recommend any of the following:
* The selection of one (1) Williams Scholar for Excellence in the Visual Arts and one (1) Williams Scholar for Excellence in Music
OR
* The selection of two (2) Williams Scholars for Excellence in Music
OR
* The selection of two (2) Williams Scholars for Excellence in the Visual Arts.
No more than two (2) Williams Scholarships shall be selected in any grant year. The decision regarding the number and nature of Williams Scholarships will be made in the sole discretion of the Trustees of The Concord Free Public Library Corporation upon the recommendation of The Williams Committee.
The amount of each Scholarship for Excellence in Music or for Excellence in the Visual Arts will range from $3,000 to $5,000. Scholarship awards received by Williams Scholars may be renewable annually for the remainder of the student’s undergraduate career. Williams Scholars will receive information directly from The Trustees of The Concord Free Public Library Corporation in each grant year with regard to whether or not the student may apply for renewal of the student’s award.
In certain grant years, The Williams Committee may choose to recognize one or more applicants with an Honorable Mention designation. Applicants receiving an Honorable Mention designation will receive a scholarship award in an amount to be determined by the Trustees of The Concord Free Public Library Corporation based upon a recommendation from The Williams Committee. Honorable Mention awards are non-renewable and shall be made in the sole discretion of the Trustees of The Concord Free Public Library Corporation upon the recommendation of The Williams Committee.
All Scholarship awards received by Williams Scholars and by Honorable Mention designees will be paid directly to the selected applicant’s college or university by The Concord Free Public Library Corporation.
Application forms and instructions for both Scholarship awards are available by clicking here.
The Williams Scholarships are open to High School Seniors who have been residents of Concord, Massachusetts for two (2) years prior to the date of their application. Students who reside in Concord as boarding students at local independent schools but whose family maintains a principal residence outside of Concord, Massachusetts, are not eligible to apply for Williams Scholarships. Additional submission requirements for each Scholarship are described in each application form. Family members of current Library Corporation Trustees are not eligible to apply for Williams Scholarships.
The deadline for scholarship applications has been extended to Tuesday, May 7, 2024. All submissions for The Charles Williams Scholarships are digital. If this creates a hardship for you, please reach out to Library Corporation Development Director Sofia Ghannam at sghannam@cfplcorp.org. Online submissions must be received by Tuesday, May 7, 2024.. Winners will be notified via email no later than May 31, 2024. Please note only students selected for recognition will be notified by the Williams Committee. Please continue to check the Library’s website for further details.
The Concord Free Public Library Corporation shall retain written application materials submitted by all applicants to The Williams Scholarship program for archival purposes. Digital artistic and musical submissions shall be deleted.
Please direct any questions regarding the Scholarships, including questions about eligibility, to the Corporation’s Development Director Sofia Ghannam at sghannam@cfplcorp.org.
