Established in 2017, the Joan H. Schlich Memorial Scholarship honors a cherished chess coach, tournament director, and chess organizer from Hampton Roads. In tribute to her love of the game, HRCA offers needs-based scholarships to help ensure that any student, regardless of means, has an opportunity to receive the benefits of chess education.
HRCA FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE:
HRCA works hard to ensure that our tuition and fees are among the lowest of educational and sports offerings while providing quality staff and programming. Even with our low rates (often 50% off comparable programs), we know that some may still find chess opportunities out of reach.
We offer limited financial assistance for students in genuine financial need. Interest-free payment plans for tuition are available to all students, and partial scholarships are available to HRCA members regardless of age, school, or chess ability.
HRCA has awarded over $20,000 in scholarship funds in the past 5 years, completely sponsored by donations and proceeds from our National Chess Day tournaments. Funds are quite limited for both our scholarship and Title I programs. If you would love to sponsor these funds, please reach out to us at hrca@hrchessclub.org, or make your tax-deductible gift to us HERE
Payment plans – If you need to split your tuition fees into smaller payments, we are happy to help! Many times, payment plans are enough for families to manage the costs associated with tournaments, classes, and camps. Please indicate your desire for a payment plan on our Financial Assistance Application BEFORE tuition payments are due.
Scholarships – Funds may be available to help families with demonstrated financial need pay for the regular cost of HRCA programs and events. Scholarships are available exclusively to HRCA members who live in the Seven Cities of Hampton Roads, and are intended to help HRCA members who have a true financial hardship that preclude them from participating in our chess programs. HRCA membership is required for scholarship eligibility.
If you are simply looking to reduce costs, we also offer a 15% volunteer discount for families who are willing to take on key volunteer roles in our programs. If you are interested in this option, please contact us for more information at hrca@hrchessclub.org
We believe that recipients develop a stronger sense of ownership and pride when they contribute toward the cost of their chess programming. For this reason, HRCA generally awards only partial scholarships. Financial aid is not issued directly to participants; instead, HRCA applies scholarship awards to outstanding balances or provides coupon codes for classes and tournaments, when applicable.
Our scholarship program is made possible through the generosity of our donors, who share our belief that chess provides valuable life skills. As responsible stewards of these donations, HRCA ensures that funds are awarded to participants with demonstrated financial need and who actively participate in HRCA programs during their award period.
The HRCA Scholarship Committee reviews all applications to ensure awards are fair and reasonable. Scholarship applications and recipient status are kept strictly confidential within the Committee. Coaches and Tournament Directors are not informed of which students receive scholarships.
If you believe you qualify, please read our Scholarship Policy, then complete our Financial Assistance Application. You can also indicate on our registration forms that you have applied for financial assistance, ensuring that fees are not charged until your scholarship determination is made. In some cases, HRCA membership fees must be paid before scholarship funds are awarded.
About our Scholarship Program:
The Schlich Scholarship may be used for:
- Tuition for clubs, classes, camps, and workshops where HRCA manages registration and payments
- Select HRCA tournament entry fees*
- Some events, such as our National Chess Day tournament, are not eligible for scholarship entries. Please see event information on King Registration.
The DEADLINE for first semester scholarship applications for HRCA core programs is August 19, 2025.
- Some events, such as our National Chess Day tournament, are not eligible for scholarship entries. Please see event information on King Registration.
Scholarship Policy
Please read our full 2025-2026 HRCA Scholarship Policy here before applying.
Updated and approved 7-30-2025 by HRCA Scholarship Committeee
If you would like to support the Joan H. Schlich Memorial Scholarship fund to ensure that no player is turned away for inability to pay, please click here to make your tax-deductible gift, and make a difference in the lives of children and adults in Hampton Roads!
Interested in serving on our Scholarship Committee? Let us know at hrca@hrchessclub.org!