Emmett & Elsie Geiser Scholarship Grant

The Emmett & Elsie Geiser Scholarship, offered by the Community Foundation Santa Cruz County, provides multiple awards of up to $3,000 annually to graduating seniors from Watsonville, Pajaro Valley, and Aptos High Schools. Eligible students must have earned at least one letter in an athletic program. This scholarship aims to support local students and foster their educational pursuits, reflecting the foundation's commitment to community investment and leadership.

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 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.