Apply Now: Coast Guard Spouse Grants for Education, Training

Eligible Coast Guard spouses may apply for a grant to support their college and professional training goals during the August-December application period. Our fall program awards $1,000 grants to cover tuition, fees, supplies, and related education expenses incurred during the 2026 calendar year.

About the Coast Guard Foundation Spouse Education Grant Program

• The first application period is January 15 - March 1 and the second application period is August 1-December 1, as funds remain.
• Grants are available to non-military spouses of active-duty enlisted Coast Guard members in pay grades E-1 to E-9 and enlisted Coast Guard Reservists in pay grades E-1 to E-9 on active-duty orders of 180 days or more. 
• The grants are intended to cover education-related expenses, such as tuition, fees, supplies and other education expenses incurred during the 2026 calendar year. 
• Grants are awarded in the amount of $1,000.
• Applicants must be presently enrolled in a degree program, class or professional certification program.
• Coast Guard Foundation spouse education grants are limited to one grant a year. Round 2 is open to applicants who have not received an award in 2026.
• Grants are awarded in the order they are received, provided all eligibility requirements have been met.
• Education and training programs must be at a regionally or nationally accredited institution.
• Priority is given to spouses pursuing first degrees (associates and bachelors), licenses, and certifications. If sufficient funds are available, grants will be offered for second degrees.
• Priority is given to spouses of members E-6 and under. If sufficient funds are available, spouses of E-7, E-8 and E-9 members will be offered a grant based on the date of their completed application.
• All selection results are final.
• Submitting an application does not guarantee grant funding.
• All grant recipients will be notified by the Coast Guard Foundation of their selection of a grant. Selected applicants will be contacted directly by email or phone and sent a letter via mail to their home address.
• Periodic changes may affect the funding levels of this program. As a result, the Coast Guard Foundation does not guarantee the funding levels for this program. The Coast Guard Foundation reserves the right to reduce or discontinue any award due to the non-availability of funding, without advance notice.

We love to hear how Coast Guard spouses are using this grant program to fund their education and training.  Here, meet four Coast Guard Foundation spouse grant recipients who are doing remarkable things, from pursuing careers in nursing to social work, speech and language therapy, to important public health research and more.

After a Coast Guard move to Seattle with her family, Kate LeGrand found a role as a public health data specialist and never looked back. Today, she is pursuing her PhD in infectious disease epidemiology, conducting research aimed at improving tuberculosis trials and ultimately saving lives. Kate built a career designed to move with her family.

“Your investment not only eases the financial burden on my family but also affirms the Foundation's dedication to supporting the resilience and professional development of enlisted families,” shared Kate. “Thank you for this meaningful support and for your commitment to the Coast Guard community.”

Tiffany Locker and her husband welcomed two children and earned her associate and bachelor’s degrees in nursing with the support of Coast Guard Foundation spouse education grants when stationed in Kodiak, Alaska. Now based in Coos Bay, Oregon, and raising three kids, Tiffany recently completed her wound care certification, a credential that means she can keep working and serving patients no matter where the Coast Guard sends her family next. She calls it the best of both worlds, a meaningful nursing career alongside being a present, hands-on mom.

“The Coast Guard Foundation has supported me in accomplishing my professional goals over the years, and I am incredibly thankful for that continued support,” she shared. 

Marissa Spiro always knew she wanted to help families. Now, as a licensed master social worker (LMSW), she gets to do that every day. Marissa works with children and families navigating physical and developmental disabilities, helping them access resources, understand complex systems, and advocate for their kids. Earning her LMSW licensure as a Coast Guard spouse was not easy, and the financial pressure of exam prep and testing costs was real. The Coast Guard Foundation spouse education grant helped make it possible. Today, Marissa brings the same resilience she has built through Coast Guard life into her work with families who need it most.

“Thank you for believing in Coast Guard families and investing in their futures,” she shared. “I am deeply grateful for your support and honored to be one of the many individuals whose life and career have been positively impacted by your mission.”

As a Coast Guard spouse and mother of two, Karen Curbelo navigated deployments, solo parenting and many moves while working toward her master's degree in speech-language pathology. Now in her final semester, Karen is on the verge of launching a career she built around a simple idea: that her work should be able to follow her family anywhere. As a licensed speech and language pathologist, she plans to serve children and adults at every duty station with a special focus on bilingual kids in military communities who may go without the support they need.

“This grant is an important step in turning my hard work and dedication into a sustainable, fulfilling career,” she said.

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In the cover photo:

Rachel Warling, pursuing her private pilots license; Shemecca Clair, working on her mortgage loan officer licensing; Saber Kiasi, taking classes toward her associate's degree in environmental science; Jaysaliz Seda Claudio working on her real estate license.