Scholarships

GENERAL INFORMATION

The Trustees of the New Castle Common exist for the benefit of the people of the City of New Castle. They oversee common land and some buildings within the city. The rent they receive from these lands and buildings gets funneled back to the citizens and community in various ways.

For example, the Trust funds help support Goodwill Fire Company and our New Castle Library. They provide funds to various city groups through their grant program, and they support local students of all ages pursuing their associate and bachelor’s degrees at accredited colleges and universities.

The Scholarship Committee consists of 4-5 community members who volunteer to operate this program. There are no Trustees on the committee although the Secretary of the committee is the liaison between the committee and the Trust for any questions or concerns that arise in the operation of the scholarships. The committee does receive valuable assistance from the Trust administrative staff and the Trust bookkeeper.

SCHOLARSHIP FAQs

Have a question about our scholarships? Click here for some commonly asked questions and answers! If your question isn’t found here, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Trust office at office@trusteesncc.org or 302-322-2809.

All qualified applicants are invited to apply using the form on this web site (links are at the bottom of this page).

These Scholarships Are For Tuition Only

Funded applicants from previous years who continue to be a student in good standing are invited to re-apply for scholarship funding each year.

Deadline:

The 2026 Fall Scholarship Application must be completed by all applicants and received in the Trustees office by July 1, 2026. This includes previously funded applicants as well as new applicants.

Who Qualifies:

The scholarship applicant must be a full-time resident of the City of New Castle. If the applicant is a dependent, their parent or guardian must also be a full-time resident of the City of New Castle.
The applicant must be a high school graduate who is entering or returning to an accredited undergraduate college or university as a full-time student in the upcoming semester.
Applicants who are currently enrolled in high school must have a letter of acceptance from a college or university and attach it to their application.

City of New Castle Residency Requirement:

A mailing address of New Castle, DE or a zip code of 19720 does not necessarily signify a City of New Castle residency. City of New Castle residents will receive a monthly electric and water utility bill from the Municipal Services Commission (MSC). Residents living in the 19720 zip code but outside of the City of New Castle will receive a utility bill from Delmarva Power (or another non-MSC provider), and be ineligible for the scholarship program.

If you’re unsure, check the New Castle County web site Parcel Search page:

https://www3.newcastlede.gov/parcel/search/

Enter your property address there and click search. If the information shown in the “Municipal Info:” section states “Incorporated in NEWCASTLE PROPERTY TAX AREA” and you have an MSC bill, your residency likely qualifies.

City of New Castle boundaries: check them on a Google Map page by clicking the link below. The boundaries are denoted by a red line on this map:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/mobwFeaniYdpACPt5

For the Scholarship Application instructions and application form, click on the links shown below. Please read the instructions carefully to prepare for completing the application form.

Click: Scholarship Application Instructions

Click: The Online Scholarship Application Form

If you have any questions check the FAQs or please contact the office:

Email: office@trusteesncc.org

Phone: 302-322-2809, ext. 1, during normal business hours, Monday through Thursday, 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM.