College & university
Tuition and fees for two-year and four-year degrees, public or private.
Now funding Oklahoma students · Applications open
Every path forward deserves a way to pay for it.
College. Trade school. Certification. Apprenticeship. Hands and Minds funds Oklahoma students chasing the future they actually want — not just the one that comes with a lecture hall.
Our mission
Four paths. One fund.
Most scholarship money assumes you're headed to a university. Meanwhile the electrician, the welder, the nurse, and the mechanic are told to figure it out themselves. We think that's backwards — so here in Oklahoma, we fund all of it.
Trade & vocational
Welding, HVAC, electrical, automotive — plus the tools the school won't cover.
Certification & licensing
Exam fees, prep courses, and renewals — the credential that gets you hired.
Apprenticeship
Tools, boots, union fees, and books — the costs that hit before your first paycheck does.
How it works
Three steps. No fees, no catch.
Check that you're eligible
Requirements are short and plainly written. If you're unsure, apply anyway — we'd rather read your application than have you rule yourself out.
Tell us your plan
A few questions about you, where you're headed, and what it costs. Roughly 30 minutes. You can save and come back.
We fund it directly
Awards are paid to your school, program, or testing body — so the money reaches the thing standing between you and the job.
Why it matters
The gap is rarely the tuition. It's the $340 exam fee.
Students don't usually fall out of their programs because of one big bill. They fall out because of a certification fee, a set of tools, a deposit, a semester they can't quite close the gap on. Small money, decisive consequences. That's the money we try to be.
Read our storySome students have the determination to succeed but face financial barriers that make their goals feel just out of reach. I believe that should never be the reason someone gives up on their future.
James Michael Johns
Founder · Read his letter
Someone is one fee away from finishing.
Whether you're the student or the person who can close that gap — this is the part where it stops being theoretical.