Does Bold.org charge donation fees?
No. Every dollar you give goes directly to the scholarship or fund you’ve selected. There are no platform fees, no hidden costs, and no percentage taken out. That’s a core part of how Bold.org was built.
Where does my donation go?
Your donation is processed through the Bold Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to helping students access the financial resources they need to pursue their education.
If your funds haven’t been awarded yet, they may be temporarily placed in short-term U.S. Treasury bills. This helps generate interest in the meantime and allows us to keep the platform running at no cost to donors or to students. Your donation amount stays the same, and every dollar is still used to fund scholarships.
What’s the “Help Keep Bold.org 100% Free” Option?
This is an optional donation that supports the Bold Foundation’s Operating Fund. It helps power the platform behind the scenes, making sure we can keep Bold.org free for students and donors alike.
You’ll see this option when you donate, and you can always change or remove it. It’s completely up to you.
What does this optional contribution support?
Behind every scholarship are real people doing the work to make it possible. This optional contribution helps us:
Keep Bold.org free for both students and donors
Support our small but mighty team, including Donor Relations Managers, Application Review Specialists, and Award Operations staff
Build and maintain tools that make it easy for you to create scholarships and connect with students
Cover core infrastructure like secure payment processing, fraud prevention, and customer support
Reach more students and help them find scholarships they qualify for
This support keeps Bold.org strong, sustainable, and personal. It allows us to grow the impact we can make together.
Is this contribution required?
No. It’s completely optional.
You can give exactly what you want to the scholarship or fund you choose. The additional contribution is simply there for those who want to support the mission and help power the work behind the scenes.
What’s the difference between the primary donation and the optional contribution?
Donation Type | Goes To |
Primary Donation | Directly to the scholarship or fund you selected (100% to students) |
Optional Contribution | To Bold Foundation’s Operating Fund (supports the platform and team behind the scenes) |
Why offer this kind of model?
Because we believe students should never have to pay to access scholarships.
And we believe you should be able to see your donation go where it matters most.
Instead of charging a fee, we give donors the option to support the mission more broadly. That helps us stay transparent and community-driven while growing our collective impact.
Your support keeps Bold.org sustainable and free for this generation and the next. 💜
Have more questions?
We’re here to help! Email us anytime at donors@bold.org.