Why we built the Hariom Impact Scholarship Challenge
July 18, 2026 · Sankha Nagchoudhury · 3 min read · Scholarships
Most scholarships reward what a student has already been given: test prep, a stable home, a counselor with time. We wanted to reward what a student does with what they have.
Blind, criterion-based judging
Applications are anonymized before judges see them. Scoring runs against a published six-criterion rubric so a compelling idea from a small rural school competes on equal footing with a polished submission from a magnet program.
A People's Choice award
Alongside the judged awards, a $500 People's Choice award is decided by public vote, with vote receipts and an audit log so the result is verifiable.
Applications, rules and voting all live on the Challenge page.
Fund a student's tuition
Every dollar is paid directly to a verified school on behalf of a verified student.
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How your donation actually reaches a school
From checkout to the bursar's office — a step-by-step look at how Hariom Helps Foundation moves a dollar from a donor to a student's tuition account.
Inside our student and donor verification process
Enrollment proof, government ID, income documentation, and human review — why we verify both sides of every gift.