Children of Fallen Heroes (CFH) Scholarship

The Children of Fallen Heroes (CFH) Scholarship allows a Pell-eligible student whose parent or guardian died in the line of duty serving as a public safety officer to receive the maximum Pell Grant for the award year in which the student qualifies.  To qualify for the scholarship, a student must provide documentation that establishes proof of eligibility and meet the award requirements.

For the purposes of the CFH Scholarship, a public safety officer is defined as: 

• An individual serving a public agency in an official capacity as a law enforcement officer, firefighter or a public safety officer serving in other official capacities as defined in section 1204 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796b); or
• A fire police officer, defined as an individual who is serving in accordance with State or local law as an officially designated member of a public safety agency and provides scene security or directs traffic in response to any fire drill, fire call, or other fire, rescue, or police emergency, or at a planned special event.

Eligibility Requirements

A student must be: 

• Eligible to receive a Federal Pell Grant
• Less than 24 years of age or enrolled at an institution of higher education at the time of the parent or guardian’s death

Once initial eligibility has been established, a student will continue to be eligible for the scholarship in any award year in which they have a Pell-eligible EFC. 

Eligibility for a Federal Pell Grant is determined by the submission of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and receiving a Pell-eligible Expected Family Contribution (EFC).  For more information on Federal Pell Grants and deadlines, refer to https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/types/grants-scholarships/pell. 

Proof of Eligibility

The student must provide documentation to the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid that establishes their eligibility for this scholarship.  Acceptable forms of documentation include, but are not limited to: 

• Notification from the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR), that consistent with ABOR policy 4-323 the student is eligible for a tuition waiver scholarship as a child of a peace officer, correctional officer, firefighter, or emergency paramedic killed in the line of duty
• A determination letter acknowledging eligibility for certain federal benefits under the Public Safety Officers Benefit (PSOB) program administered by the Department of Justice
• A written letter or determination made by a state or local government official with supervisory or other relevant oversight authority of an individual who died in the line of duty while serving as a public safety officer
• Other documentation that is determined to be from a credible source that describes or reports the circumstances of the death and the occupation of the parent or guardian

Submitted documentation will be reviewed to determine general eligibility.  All students submitting documentation will be notified if the documentation is sufficient to establish eligibility and if additional information is required.  If you have additional questions about this scholarship, believe you are an eligible student or to submit documentation, please contact: 

James Uhrlaub
Associate Specialist, Student Financial Aid Compliance
520-626-3157​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​uhrlaubjd@arizona.edu