Skip to main content
Funding HelperHomebook Funding Helper
BrowseGuidesTemplatesFAQ
My list
← All funding
PrizeWhere: NationalNational: schools in any US state!Who gets the money: Goes to the student, not the schoolClosed for this round

American Foreign Service Association (AFSA)

National High School Essay Contest

High school students write a 1,000 to 1,500 word essay about U.S. diplomacy and the Foreign Service. The winner gets $2,500 and a paid trip to Washington, D.C.

Amount
$2,500 to the winner, plus an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. for the winner and parents and an educational voyage with Semester at Sea; the winner's school gets 10 books
Can a for-profit school apply?
?Unclear: ask the funder
Deadline
Next round not posted
Who this fits
Microschool · Private school · Homeschool co‑opGrades 9-12; students whose parents are in the Foreign Service are not eligible.?Religious schools: not stated, ask the funder
New schools
Brand-new schools can apply
Where
National: schools in any US state
Last checked
Oct 10, 2026on afsa.org
See the funder’s page↗(opens afsa.org in a new tab)

Unconfirmed: check with the funder

We couldn’t confirm these on an official page. Treat them as open questions, not facts.

  • ?2026-27 deadline and topic

What to do now

  1. Step 1: Watch afsa.org/essay-contest for the 2026-27 topic
  2. Step 2: Read the AFSA study guide
  3. Step 3: Write and submit the essay online by the deadline

Funders change their requirements. Check the official page before you apply. Getting ready? See what funders usually ask for.

Who can apply

“Students may be attending a public, private, or parochial school. Entries from home-schooled students are also accepted.”
In the funder’s own words, from afsa.org, checked Oct 10, 2026.
  • Grades 9-12
  • Parents not in the Foreign Service
  • 1,000 to 1,500 word essay on the yearly topic

Timing

The 2025-2026 submission window is closed. Yearly contest; 2026-27 topic and dates not posted yet.

Not legal or tax advice. Whether your school should be for-profit or a nonprofit, or take on a loan, is a decision for your CPA or attorney. Always confirm the details on the funder’s own page before you apply.

Something off?

Tell us what looks wrong and we’ll re-check it against the funder’s page. Nothing here changes until a person checks.

Thank you. We’ll re-check this listing.

Please leave links out of the note and send it again. Describe the problem in words instead.

We couldn’t take that just now. Please try again later, or email sam@gethomebook.com.

That didn’t go through. Pick what looks wrong, keep the note under 500 characters, and check the email address.

What looks wrong?

An email is used only to reply and is deleted after 30 days. Privacy

Homebook Funding Helper

This is not legal, tax or financial advice. Whether your school should be for-profit or a nonprofit, or take on a loan, is a decision for your CPA or attorney. Always confirm the details on the funder’s own page before you apply.

BrowseGuidesTemplatesFAQWhat funders ask forNonprofit-only grants?Arkansas School FinderReport a correctionPrivacy
Built and kept free by Homebook, an ADE-approved Arkansas EFA vendor.