The Scholarships for Military Children Program for school year 2019-20 kicks off Dec. 14 and continues accepting applications through Feb. 15.

This marks the first time the entry process will happen entirely online.

“It will be simple to create an account, save your work and submit your application when finalized,” said Jim Weiskopf, vice president, Fisher House Foundation, the nonprofit organization that administers the program. “The online process will make it easier for military children to reach their education goals.”

Eligibility for the program is determined using the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting

System database. Applicants should ensure that they, as well as their sponsor, are enrolled in the DEERS database and have a current military dependent identification card.

A total of 500 scholarship grants, each for $2,000, will be awarded for school year. There will be at least one recipient selected at every commissary location where qualified applications are received, and additional recipients will be selected based on a prorate basis, so more applicants will be selected from those commissaries with larger numbers of applicants.

The Scholarships for Military Children Program was created in recognition of the contributions of military families to the readiness of the fighting force and to celebrate the role of the commissary in the military family community. It is the intent of the program that a scholarship funded through contributions be awarded annually for each commissary operated by the Defense Commissary Agency worldwide.

All rules and requirements for the program, as well as links to frequently asked questions are available at the www.militaryscholars.org.