About Sam's Fund

​In 2016, Sam's sisters, Michelle and Natalie, both in college at the time, took the initiative to convert Sam's Fund to a scholarship fund to be awarded each year to a high school senior from either Conard or Hall High School. Working with the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation (formerly the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving), the first scholarship was awarded in 2017. Preference is given to students who have overcome adversity or completed a remedial program and want to pursue education beyond the high school level.

​Unlike other scholarship programs, the Samuel Joseph Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to a student each year who has a 2.0 or higher GPA and has shown an upward trend in his or her grades. Scholarships will be awarded for a 2-year community college, or 4-year college, or vocational training. The 2026 application deadline is February 4, 2026.

The fund, established as a memorial to Samuel Leonard Joseph, will support deserving students in pursuing a college education. The Samuel Leonard Joseph Memorial Scholarship Fund will primarily support high school students in the Hartford area who have overcome adversity and want to continue their education by providing an annual scholarship.

Application Instructions for 2026:

Go to https://www.hfpgscholarships.org (or click on the button, below).
In the first section of the universal application, if a student selects or answers the following questions as indicated, they will be eligible for Sam’s scholarship.

I want to be considered for scholarships where financial need is a criterion: Yes

Student type: High school senior

High school name: Conard HS or Hall HS

Select in list "I have overcome special life circumstances, e.g., emotional, physical or other."

High school cumulative GPA over 1.99

School I will attend: College/university or community college or vocational/technical/trade school

Enrollment status: Full-time

Once submitted, the student will receive a list of all the scholarship opportunities for which they are eligible to apply.

Deadline for application submission: February 4, 2026.

Scholarship Selection Criteria

The annual scholar(s) will be selected by a HFPG Board of Directors' approval selection committee through an objective and nondiscriminatory process that complies with all applicable regulations
and policies.
​Sam's sisters, Michelle and Natalie Joseph, are the family's primary representatives to the fund and will participate in the recommendation process.
​In choosing the annual Samuel Leonard Joseph Memorial Scholar, preference will be given to students meeting all or most of the following criteria. Students who:

• Are graduating seniors from the William H. Hall High School or Conard High School in West
  ​Hartford, CT

  • Are entering a 2 or 4-year college, or vocational/trade school, and pursuing an undergraduate degree on a full-time basis

  • Have achieved academic success in high school (maintaining a 2.0 GPA or higher); have shown an upward trend in his or her grades and show promise of continued academic achievement at the college level

  • Need financial aid in order to attend college

  • Have overcome special life circumstances, e.g., emotional, physical or other

  • Have been involved with volunteer, community service, and/or extracurricular activities