The first months of 2025 have been an especially busy time at the Scholarship Foundation. I thought I would take a moment and briefly highlight some of our recent successes.
I am pleased to report that our Art Scholarship program remains very popular with both students and the wider public. In fact, we successfully expanded the program to the Santa Ynez Valley this year! Judging of South County student art submissions took place at the Assistance League of Santa Barbara on January 23. Forty-five student artists submitted portfolios of original work for judging by our panel of experts, of whom 20 will receive scholarships. The subsequent reception for the winning students at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art on February 6 was remarkably well attended despite the rain. Thanks to all who came! The reception was the subject of articles in Voice Magazine, The Montecito Journal, and Noozhawk.
Our inaugural Santa Ynez Valley Art Competition and Reception were resounding successes! I can honestly say that both the public response and the media coverage exceeded our expectations. Twelve seniors at Santa Ynez Valley Union High School submitted works for judging at their school on January 30, five of whom will receive scholarships. A reception for all participants took place at the California Nature Art Museum in Solvang two weeks later on February 13 – another rainy evening, yet community members turned out in droves! Resulting coverage on Noozhawk and in the Santa Ynez Valley News can be viewed here and here. And in an especially exciting development, local NBC affiliate KSBY aired a report about the exhibited student work, which can be seen here.
The Scholarship Foundation has a new North County office at 1862 S. Broadway Street (Suite 203) in Santa Maria. We look forward to serving students and families at this location! In fact, we will host a small ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new office on April 8. More details to come.
Some students have been reluctant to submit the FAFSA due to lingering privacy concerns, especially those from mixed-status families who are worried about how their information might be used. In response, our program advisors have dedicated significant time to supporting students throughout that process.
Our General Scholarship application closed on February 23. The Scholarship Foundation received a total of 3,334 applications for financial aid during the 2025-26 academic year. Our team is now working diligently to determine eligibility before making selections in the weeks ahead. We will notify high school seniors on April 25 and all other recipients on May 15.
Wishing you all a productive and successful spring!