Welcome to the homepage of the Game Changers Scholarship,

Presented by The Kroger Co. Foundation and the Always brand!

The Game Changers Scholarship was created by the Kroger Co. Foundation and Always brand to champion women and their supporters who seek higher education in business, technology, and liberal arts. Our goal is to support the next generation of leaders that will change the game in their respective areas of study.

Game Changers Scholars from each Kroger Division* will receive one scholarship of $2,000 and will be eligible to participate in an announcement ceremony either virtually or in-person based on distance to the Cincinnati area during the LPGA Kroger Queen City Championship, Presented by P&G!

*Either the home or campus address may reside in a Kroger Division for the applicant to be eligible.

Scholarship Information

Game Changers Applicants must:

  • Submit an online application with required supplemental materials:

    • Current FAFSA Submission Summary (formerly SAR) with Student Aid Index (formerly EFC)

    • Current transcript with cumulative GPA

  • Be enrolled or accepted part-time or full-time during the 2025-2026 academic year at an accredited, non-profit college, university, technical, or vocational institution.

  • Pursue a business-related, sciences, technical and/or liberal arts undergraduate degree or certificate.

  • Have a high school or college cumulative GPA of 3.0/4.0 as determined by the transcript.

  • Be a 1st generation college student.

  • Have unmet financial need as determined by the FAFSA Submission Summary.

  • Fully and truthfully complete the application process.

  • All people who are 1st generation college students with financial need and meet the criteria above are eligible for this scholarship.

Selection will be based on an overall assessment of academic performance, leadership skills, character, community service, and school involvement of exceptional women and their supporters who are 1st generation college students with financial need who demonstrate a commitment to supporting and uplifting women in their academic, professional, or community endeavors.

The Kroger Co. Foundation with the Always brand has partnered with OFIC’s (Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges) Scholarship Management Resources (SMR), an independent scholarship services provider to manage the scholarship program, including selecting the recipients. This ensures a fair and objective-based selection process. The number of recipients will be determined by the number of applications received and the quality of the applications.

The Kroger and Always Game Changers scholarship application is available online March through May. The deadline to apply is midnight ET on Monday, May 12, 2025.

Any questions may be forwarded to scholarships@ofic.org

Q&A’s

  • There are twenty-three (23) total scholarships, one for each Kroger Division, in the amount of $2,000 each.

  • Selection will be based on an overall assessment of academic performance, leadership skills, character, community service, and school involvement of exceptional women and their supporters who are 1st generation college students with financial need who demonstrate a commitment to supporting and uplifting women in their academic, professional, or community endeavors.

    Selection criteria is the following: 30% work and/or community involvement, 30% academics, 25% special circumstances, and 15% essay. You must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in order to be considered for a Game Changers Scholarship.

    All applications are reviewed by OFIC/SMR, a third-party representative of Kroger and Always.

    All Kroger and Procter & Gamble employees and their dependents are ineligible to receive an award.

  • A supporter is defined here as someone, regardless of gender, who offers advocacy, encouragement, or promotion of women as they pursue their academic, professional or community goals to be Game Changers. All people who are 1st generation college students with financial need and meet the criteria above are eligible for this scholarship.

  • Preferred majors are business-related, sciences, technical, and/or liberal arts.

  • No, Game Changers Scholars must reapply and upload the other required materials each year for consideration.

  • No. Associates or employees, or their dependents, of Kroger and/or Procter and Gamble are ineligible to apply.

  • OFIC/SMR will notify all applicants of the final results by July 1, 2025 via email to the address provided in the application.

  • OFIC/SMR will distribute scholarship funds directly to the scholars' institutions at the end of July 2025. It is the student’s responsibility to make payment arrangements with their institution and notify SMR if there is a change in campus after submitting the application.

  • Yes. Your personally identifiable information is kept secure. Only OFIC authorized employees and agents (who have agreed to keep information secure and confidential) have access to this information. To protect the information being gathered, the scholarship application site has security measures in place including firewalls, encryption, and authenticated access to internal databases where needed.

  • Students enrolled part-time or full-time at any accredited 2-year, 4-year college or university or in a technical/certificate training program are eligible.

  • The scholars’ financial aid offices will divide the scholarship evenly between the fall and spring semesters. Award funds will apply to tuition, fees, room and board, and other educational-related items within the scholars’ cost of attendance at their respective institution.

  • Either the home or campus address may reside in a Kroger Division for the applicant to be eligible and will be verified by the scholarship review committee. This map will help you determine in which Kroger Division your home or campus address resides.

  • The Kroger Co. Foundation & the Always brand are partnering to “change the game” for women in business, education, and sports, and have created the “Game Changers Scholarship”. The Game Changers Scholarship was created by the Kroger Co. Foundation and Always to champion women and their supporters in seeking higher education in business, technology, and liberal arts. Our goal is to support the next generation of leaders that will change the game in their respective areas of study.

  • The Kroger Always Game Changers Scholarship is administered through Scholarship Management Resources (SMR), a division of OFIC.  Scholarships managed through SMR are open to students from each Kroger division who are attending an accredited, not-for-profit college or university. The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges (OFIC) was founded in 1950 and conducts annual solicitations of corporations and foundations to benefit its 32 member private colleges and universities. The majority of funds raised support student scholarships.