The FCBA is gearing up for its 2026 scholarship and stipend programs, which will award hundreds of thousands of dollars to outstanding high school and law school students, thanks to the generous contributions of FCBA members, industry sponsors, and others. Below are the details of the programs, including information on applications.
If you have any questions about these programs, please contact Stephanie Budaker at stephanie@fcba.org.
2026 College Scholarship Program
The FCBA Foundation College Scholarship Program provides financial support and laptop computers to DC public high school students to assist them attend college. Over the program’s 30 years, the Foundation has helped 437 local high school students attend college with generous scholarship awards. In 2025, the Foundation committed $295,000 to graduating seniors selected because of their academic achievements and service to school and community, with individual scholarships ranging from $8,000 to $20,000.
The Foundation’s web-based application lets interested high school seniors matriculating to college next fall apply for a scholarship online. The College Scholarship application is available at https://webportalapp.com/sp/login/fcbacollegescholarship.
The deadline for submission of applications is Friday, February 20, 2026. The Foundation plans to conduct interviews of promising applicants in early April 2026. We will notify successful applicants of their scholarship awards before May 2026.
2026 Law School Summer Internship Stipend Program
The FCBA Foundation will award stipends to law students employed as unpaid summer interns through its Law School Summer Internship Stipend Program. The program provides stipends to students from around the country who want to dedicate their time and talent over the summer to government service in areas related to telecommunications, media, and technology (TMT) law, including broadcasting, cable, information technology, television, telephony, satellite, and wireless. It also can include work at government/public sector entities addressing other communications-related areas, including internet law and policy, privacy, cybersecurity, copyright, emerging technologies, and related policy and legal issues.
The Law School Summer Stipend Program awards stipends of up to $10,000 per student; last year, the program provided $16,500 in support to six outstanding law students. The Foundation considers funding from other sources in making award decisions and generally will adjust its stipend awards based on total funding received.
Details on the Law School Summer Stipend Program application dates and process will be released in the coming weeks.
2026 Law School Scholarship Program
The FCBA Foundation Law School Scholarship Program provides financial assistance to rising second- or third-year students currently enrolled in accredited law schools in the United States who have a demonstrated interest in pursuing a career in TMT law. In 2025, the Foundation awarded $20,000 in scholarships to seven outstanding law students. The scholarships are payable to the applicable law school in one lump sum to help the student with tuition or other education-related expenses.
Details on the Law School Scholarship application dates and process will be released in the coming weeks.
We need volunteers to help review scholarships! Learn more about how to volunteer here.
Curious what being an FCBA Foundation Scholar looks like? Meet last year’s recipients here.