About the Program
Built to move public money
with precision and integrity.
USRAV — Universal Scholarship Relief & Advance Vision — channels federal-style assistance to individuals, institutions and organizations that meet published eligibility standards.
Our Mission
Access, administered properly.
Since 2018, the program has approved more than 184,000 awards across all fifty states, the District of Columbia and four U.S. territories. Funding flows through six standing instruments — education, small business, housing, health, rural development, and technology & research — each with a published award range and an annual allocation.
Applications are processed on Form USRAV-1040. Every submission is time-stamped, numbered and assigned to a review panel; the median review time for FY 2025 was twenty-one days. Applicants are contacted by email only, and only when further information is required.
Operating Principles
What we hold ourselves to
Integrity
Every award is traceable from application to disbursement. Panels score against published criteria — never discretion behind closed doors.
Access
The application takes six minutes, costs nothing, and requires no special software or representation.
Accountability
Award recipients report outcomes annually. Aggregate results are published in the FY report to the public.
Security
We collect only what the statute requires. Sensitive identifiers are never requested through this portal.
Program History
Milestones
- 2018
Program chartered
First funding round of $40M issued under the pilot education instrument.
- 2020
Rural expansion
Agriculture & Rural Development instrument added; territories become eligible.
- 2022
100,000th award
Cumulative disbursements cross the $1B mark across all six instruments.
- 2024
Digital portal
Form USRAV-1040 moves fully online; median review time drops to 21 days.
- 2026
FY 2026 cycle opens
$312M funding pool announced; applications accepted through September 30.
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