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The Frito-Lay Community Builder Scholarship program has reached its limit of 500 applications, and the application period has now closed. Thank you for your interest in the program.

Application status: Closed

The Frito-Lay Community Builder Scholarship program has reached its limit of 500 applications, and the application period has now closed. Thank you for your interest in the program.

As the maker of America’s favorite snacks, Frito-Lay® is on a mission to create more smiles and a brighter future with every bite. The Community Builder scholarship program was established to assist students who plan to continue their education in college or vocational school programs. Drawing on years of commitment to communities across the country, Frito-Lay is looking to support students who are giving back in their own communities and helping to lead us all to a brighter future.

The program is administered by Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarships and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Eligibility for individual programs is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsor and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America’s evaluation team.

Applicants to the Frito-Lay Community Builder Scholarship must meet all of the following criteria:

  • Live in the United States (U.S.)
  • Be a high school senior or graduate or current college undergraduate who plans to enroll in full-time undergraduate study in the U.S. at an accredited two-year or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school for the entire upcoming academic year
  • Have a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale (or its equivalent)

PepsiCo employees and children of PepsiCo employees are ineligible.

Awards

If selected as a recipient, the student will receive an award of $25,000. Four (4) awards will be granted.

Awards can be used for any education-related expense and are for undergraduate study only. Awards are not renewable.

Notification

The four (4) scholarship recipients will be notified by the end of January 2024.

Non-recipients will also receive notification of their status.

Payment of Scholarships

Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of Frito-Lay North America, Inc.

A one-time payment of $25,000 is made to each recipient in early August 2024.

Selection of Finalists & Recipients

Scholarship Finalists will be selected by Scholarship America on the basis of:

  • Academic record
  • Demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities
  • Work experience
  • An essay response to “Tell us about a contribution you have made to build the community around you and how that has impacted your education path.”
  • Unusual personal or family circumstances
  • Financial need

Financial need, as calculated by Scholarship America, must be demonstrated for the student to receive an award.

From the pool of qualified finalists selected by Scholarship America, a diverse panel of Frito-Lay community leaders will select four (4) recipients.

Not all applicants to the program will be selected as recipients. All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.


As part of your application, you must upload the following:

  • A current, complete transcript of grades. Grade reports are not accepted. Transcripts must display student name, school name, grades and credit hours for each course and term in which each course was taken.

NOTE: If you are providing SAT or ACT test scores, and those scores are not listed on your high school transcript, you will need to upload a copy of your test score report(s) separately. If you are uploading a college transcript, those scores are not required.

  • Copy of the first two pages of the most recently filed IRS Form 1040 used for the Financial Information section of the application. Please black out all social security numbers and bank account information.

Your application is not complete unless all required materials are submitted electronically.

Frito-Lay North America, Inc. has partnered with Scholarship America. Selecting the button below will redirect you to the Scholarship America Student Hub!

Please make sure to add studentsupport@scholarshipamerica.org as well as the program email address provided below in the footer as safe senders in your email contact list.