CIAO has instituted a student scholarship program.

In January 2024, the CIAO club established the CIAO Donor Scholarship program. CIAO plans to award the student scholarship annually. The following mission statement captures CIAO’s purpose for creating the scholarship:

Invest, not only in the success of future Italian American leaders, but other aspiring leaders as well by assisting with the financial burden of higher education.

The scholarship is administered by an organization called Bold.org. Although Bold.org handles the administrative functions, a committee of CIAO board members and other volunteers oversees the process. These dedicated volunteers meet regularly. They strive to select worthy Hampton Roads applicants who demonstrate academic achievement, community service and leadership skills. Also, a link to Italian heritage is noteworthy.

Bold.org maintains a scholarship website with information for students. CIAO's web page at this site allows students to learn about our scholarship and submit their applications. The applications and essays are then made available to the selection committee for evaluation. In addition to the Bold.org website, outreach by CIAO to area high schools is undertaken to enhance student awareness.

For 2024, the inaugural year of the scholarship, CIAO offered two scholarships of $1000 each. Two winners were selected and awards were made on August 15, 2024.

For 2025, funding has been increased to $4000, allowing for two awards of $2000 each. The application deadline is April 15, 2025. Awards are expected to be announced on May 15, 2025.

CIAO uses several fundraising events, individual donations from members, and other mechanisms to fund the scholarship. Foremost among these is the scholarship fundraiser pasta dinner. To help fund the 2025 scholarship, a dinner was held on October 5, 2024 at the Kingsmill Wareham Pond Rec Center. Another event of the same kind is planned for late 2025 to help fund the 2026 scholarship. Additional fundraising activities will be held throughout the year to ensure we meet our funding targets.