Barbara J. Thompson Scholarship Grant

The Barbara J. Thompson Scholarship offers multiple one-time awards of $1,000 or more for high school graduates and current seniors from accredited schools within the Santa Cruz City Schools District. Eligible candidates must have a minimum GPA of 3.0, be U.S. citizens residing in Santa Cruz County for at least three of the past four years, and participate in activities such as employment, family care, community involvement, volunteer work, or sports.

What is a Community Foundation?
A community foundation is a nonprofit organization that brings together the financial resources of families, individuals, and organizations who care about a specific place and then invests those resources back into the community and the people who live there.
What does Community Foundation Santa Cruz County do?
Philanthropic AdvisingExpert and personalized service to donors and their advisors about tax-wise charitable giving tools to achieve their charitable goals.Over 40 years of trusted knowledge of local nonprofits to help donors align their passions to meet our county’s needs.Support for Local NonprofitsThrough grants, low-interest loans, professional development workshops, offering our building as a community space, and hosting capital campaigns, nonprofit reserve funds, and endowments.Community LeadershipWe convene conversations on urgent community needs to inspire collective action around key local issues and rally resources in moments of crisis and opportunity.Creating Lasting ImpactBuild endowments to provide permanent resources for our community Invest in the next generation by awarding scholarships and fellowships to local students and artists.So we can:Give and rally timely, flexible resourcesGenerate wise and durable solutions to our community’s most pressing problemsRespond to crises togetherBuild trust across differences
Multiple one-time awards of $1,000 or more are 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, are US citizens 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.