Scholarships

Thanks to community donors, one or more awards (amounts vary) are available for graduating seniors from any high school in Santa Cruz County or students enrolled at Cabrillo College who have a minimum 3.0 GPA or experience working in desired trade/career path and who demonstrate financial need. Recipients may attend any accredited community, vocational, or two or four-year college.

A one-time award of $1,000 or more is available for graduates or current graduating seniors of any accredited high school physically located within the Santa Cruz City Schools District who have a minimum 3.0 GPA, who have resided in Santa Cruz County for three of the past four years and have participated in three of the following activities during their high school term: Employment, Family Care, Community Involvement, Volunteer Work, and Sports.

A one-time award of $2,500 is available for graduating seniors from Watsonville High School with a minimum GPA of 3.0 who demonstrates financial need and has the intention of becoming a public school teacher. Priority will be given to applicants who are first in their families to go to college and/or are bilingual in Spanish and English.

One award of up to $5,000 (renewable annually) is available for current graduating seniors of any high school in Santa Cruz County who are involved in art, craft, or music programs. Students must be enrolled/admitted in Cabrillo College, San Jose State University, or the University of California at Santa Cruz, demonstrate financial need, and have a minimum 3.0 GPA.

Multiple awards of up to $5,000 (renewable annually) are available for graduates or current graduating seniors of any high school in Santa Cruz County who have maintained a minimum 3.0 GPA for two consecutive years, demonstrating financial need.

Multiple awards of up to $3,000 (renewable annually based on academic performance) are available for graduating seniors from Watsonville High School, Pajaro Valley High School, and Aptos High School who have earned at least one letter in an athletic program.

A one-time award up to $2,000 is available for a graduating senior or graduate of any public high school in the Santa Cruz City Schools District who demonstrates financial need and who will be attending a University of California campus.

Multiple awards of $2,000 (renewable annually) are available for graduating seniors from Aptos High School, Monte Vista High School, Pajaro Valley High School, St. Francis High School, and Watsonville High School who have a minimum 3.5 GPA and demonstrate financial need.

Multiple one-time awards of $5,000 are available to graduating seniors from Pajaro Valley High School, or any public high school in Santa Cruz County, who have a minimum 3.0 GPA, demonstrate financial need, and will be attending college at Cabrillo or an accredited 4-year college or university full-time.

A one-time award of $1,000 is available for a graduating senior from Watsonville High School or Pajaro Valley High School who has a minimum 2.0 GPA and demonstrates financial need.

An award of $1,000 or more (renewable annually) is available to Latina students who are graduates or current graduating seniors of any high school in Santa Cruz County, or a current student of Cabrillo College, reside in the Live Oak or Watsonville area at the time of application, and demonstrate financial need.

One award of $2,000 or more (renewable annually) is available for graduates or current graduating seniors of any high school in Santa Cruz County who demonstrate financial need and are enrolled as full-time students.

Two awards of $2,500 are available to graduating seniors from any high school within Santa Cruz County who have a minimum 3.0 GPA and intend to study abroad while in college.

One award of $1,000 or more (renewable annually) is available for graduating seniors from Santa Cruz High School who show academic achievement and a history of service activities or volunteer work, will personally contribute to their educational costs, and demonstrate financial need.

One or more awards of $5,000 (renewable annually) are available for graduating seniors from any high school in Santa Cruz County or students enrolled at Cabrillo College who have a minimum 3.0 GPA or experience working in a desired trade/career path and who demonstrate financial need. Recipients may attend any accredited community, vocational, or two or four-year college.

One or more awards of $1,000 or more (renewable annually based on continued study in Agriculture) are available for graduating seniors of any high school in Santa Cruz County or the Pajaro Valley, or a student of Cabrillo College or Hartnell Community College who were residents of Santa Cruz County or the Pajaro Valley for at least two years prior to registration, and will be attending a 4-year university to study Agriculture.

One or more awards are available to students who are currently enrolled and in good standing as a graduate student at the University of California, Santa Cruz, San Jose State University, OR California State University, Monterey Bay. We welcome graduate applicants committed to solutions that benefit both people and the planet to apply for the Doane Environmental Endowed Scholarship.

While applicants for this opportunity apply via the same portal, this scholarship has a separate application and its own FAQ. Please review the FAQ here.