The North Carolina Retail Merchants Association (NCRMA) is a non-profit trade association whose goal is to improve the business climate for retail merchants.

The Carolina Food Industry Council (CFIC) was formed in 2004 as a result of a merger between the North Carolina Retail Merchants Association and the North Carolina Food Dealers Association.

Together they are offering 46 scholarships to students living in North or South Carolina.

National

National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN) offers the following awards for to honor Hispanic nurses for their work: Ildaura Murillo-Rohde Award for Education Excellence, the Henrietta Villaescusa Community Service Award, the Janie Menchaca Wilson Leadership Award, and the Sarah Gomez Erlach Humanitarian Award. Deadline: Early April.

The GEAR UP program provides grants to local governments, some of the funds are also used to provide college scholarships to low-income students.  The program is a Federal discretionary grant program whose purpose is to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education.  GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) serves students beginning no later than the seventh grade and follows them through high school.