Bright Futures Appeal Process:
For students that would like to make an appeal to the Bright Futures Appeals Committee, here are a few guidelines to assist in the process. If you have questions, please contact us at hello@brightfuturesco.com.
Deadlines
The Bright Futures Appeals Committee typically denies any appeal due to a missed deadline of any kind. That includes missed deadlines to upload required documents such as transcripts, enrollment status, volunteer hours, FAFSA completion or any other required documents stated on the Bright Futures application. Excuses for missed deadlines such as work responsibilities, illness, or other personal issues will not be considered as a valid reason for missed deadlines. Don’t procrastinate! Complete all required application steps and uploads of required data in a timely manner. Do not wait until the deadline date to complete uploads as the Bright Futures staff may not be able to solve your last-minute issues.
GPA Requirements
The Bright Futures program is a workforce initiative. Making progress towards a certificate or degree program is essential to the success of Bright Futures. Passing grades are an important part of successful program completion. The Bright Futures initiative requires students to maintain a GPA of 2.0 or higher. A GPA lower than 2.0 will result in loss of funds. Appeals from students asking for Bright Futures Funds with a GPA lower than 2.0 are rarely approved. Extreme personal circumstances that result in a student’s low GPA such as a family tragedy or a debilitating illness may warrant an appeals letter. However, those types of personal circumstances that resulted in poor academic performance do not automatically guarantee that an appeal will be approved.
Volunteer Work
Bright Futures recipients are required to complete required volunteer hours within Weld County. Should a student be unable to complete their volunteer service hours in Weld County, every effort should be made to work long-distance with a Weld County organization to satisfy the requirement. Students should keep records showing documentation of deliberate efforts to contact and work with Weld County organizations for volunteer hours. Specific names, dates, and other pertinent information regarding those Weld organizations that have been contacted should be included in the appeals letter. Students requesting volunteer hours outside of Weld County should get approval for those hours prior to completing the volunteer work, or the student risks those volunteer hours outside of Weld not counting for the Bright Futures program. If a student is granted a waiver to complete volunteer hours outside of Weld, the waiver should be included with the Community Service Form that is uploaded to the Bright Futures portal.
Appeals Process
Keep in mind that the Bright Futures Appeals Committee wants you to be successful and will be objective when reading your appeal. The Bright Futures program has a goal to help workforce development through funding for post-secondary training. The committee wants to help students meet that goal through the completion of training programs. However, applicants must strictly follow all Bright Futures guidelines. Any names stated in the appeal are redacted from documents so the letters read by the Appeals Committee are anonymous. All letters of appeal should be submitted utilizing the process in the eScholarship system. Applicants will be notified of the Appeals Committee’s decision within the appeal section of their Bright Futures account.
Guidelines for Letters of Appeal
For Bright Futures applicants wanting to write a quality appeal letter that seeks to have approval for Bright Futures funds that have been denied, here are some suggestions.
- In the first paragraph, state the reason you are writing the letter. The explanation should be short and to the point.
- The second paragraph should state what has happened and why your situation is unique. Make sure to include all of the circumstances that explain your personal situation. Refer to the guidelines on the Bright Futures website so show that you understand the issue(s) that the committee must consider. Include specific details of the things you have done or will do in the future to correct the situation. Add any relevant times and dates. If applicable, your appeal should refer to any testimonials provided in any separate letters of support that you have submitted along with the appeal. Letters of support from people such as a teacher, doctor, or family member can confirm and help explain your particular extenuating circumstances.
- Paragraph three should simply summarize your personal situation, restating the important points and what you are doing to correct the situation. Finish the paragraph by thanking the committee members for their time and their consideration.