Programs

Donating to or Establishing a New Scholarship

The following information is for donors  whou are considering creating a new scholarship for students at Foothill College. All donations are received by Foothill-De Anza Community College District Foundation.

Thank you for your interest in giving to our scholarship program to benefit students at Foothill and/or De Anza Colleges. Donors may choose to establish their own endowed scholarship with gifts of $25,000 or more, or they can give a gift of any amount to one of our existing scholarship groups.

Endowed Scholarships

Endowed scholarships exist in perpetuity, providing student support now and for future generations. When an individual or organization establishes an endowed scholarship, the gift is invested as principal and the income distributed annually for scholarship awards. Endowments may be established with a $25,000 minimum gift: gifts should be made in consideration of the annual payout and the needs of the scholarship recipients.

Donors often ask that part of their annual gift be distributed to students as a scholarship and a portion be set aside to build an endowment. For example, the donor may pledge to donate $5,000 yearly for the next ten years and request distribution of the entire gift each year OR distribution of $2,500 yearly and investment of the remaining $2,500 into an endowment account.

Endowed scholarships provide a lasting tribute in honor/memory of loved ones and other exemplary individuals, and ensure students with the support necessary to achieve educational success.

Establishing Criteria for Endowed Scholarships

Scholarship committees on each campus select student recipients based on the scholarship criteria. Donors may wish to look over the existing scholarship groupings for criteria, but generally, criteria can include financial need, GPA, area of study, campus or community leadership, or transfer requirements. The Foothill-De Anza Community College District has a strong commitment to open access for all students. For this reason, selection criteria related to race, ethnicity, gender, citizenship or national origin are not acceptable, as they do not provide for the most inclusive initial applicant pool. The FHDA Foundation office is happy to work with donors in crafting appropriate and meaningful scholarship criteria.

Categorical Scholarships

Any gift amount is accepted for our Categorical Scholarships, simply choose the scholarship that is most compelling and appeals to you the most! For gifts of $1,000 or more, the donor's name will appear on our online scholarship application.

There are five categorical scholarships that are available and include criteria such as academic excellence, area of study, financial need, transfer requirements or having faced obstacles in their academic goals. Depending on the amount available, each category will offer anywhere from 1 to 20 scholarships of varying amounts.

Academic Achievement

Purpose: To recognize students with a rigorous commitment to academic excellence.
Criteria: 3.5 GPA

Academic Discipline

This category recognizes students with a strong commitment to their major. See below for the various disciplines available.

Academic Discipline: Biological Science/Health Sciences

Purpose: To recognize students with a strong commitment to their academic major.
Criteria: 3.0 GPA; Show commitment to major through major course completion, activities associated with major, research into transfer and/or employment opportunities, etc.
MAJORS: Dental Assisting, Dental Hygiene, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Emergency Medical Technician, Paramedic, Pharmacy Technology, Primary Care Associate, Radiology Technology, Respiratory Therapy or Veterinary Technology.

Academic Discipline: Business/Computer Science

Purpose: To recognize students with a strong commitment to their academic major.
Criteria: 3.0 GPA; Show commitment to major through major course completion, activities associated with major, research into transfer and/or employment opportunities, etc.
MAJORS: Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, Marketing, MIS, Economics, Information Systems, Computer Science, etc.

Academic Discipline: Creative/Fine Arts

Purpose: To recognize students with a strong commitment to their academic major.
Criteria: 3.0 GPA; Show commitment to major through major course completion, activities associated with major, research into transfer and/or employment opportunities, etc.
MAJORS: Art, Art History, Design, Graphic Communications, Photography, Film/TV, Multimedia, Music, Dance, Theater, etc.

Academic Discipline: Language Arts

Purpose: To recognize students with a strong commitment to their academic major.
Criteria: 3.0 GPA;Show commitment to major through major course completion, activities associated with major, research into transfer and/or employment opportunities, etc.
MAJORS: Languages, English, Creative Writing, Linguistics, etc.

Academic Discipline: Physical Education/Athletics

Purpose: To recognize students with a strong commitment to their academic major.
Criteria: 3.0 GPA; Show commitment to major through major course completion, activities associated with major, research into transfer and/or employment opportunities, etc.
MAJORS: Exercise Science, Community Health, Occupational Health, Recreation, Physical Education, etc.

Academic Discipline: Physical Science/Math/Engineering

Purpose: To recognize students with a strong commitment to their academic major.
Criteria: 3.0 GPA;Show commitment to major through major course completion, activities associated with major, research into transfer and/or employment opportunities, etc.
MAJORS: Astronomy, Geology, Meteorology, Statistics, Mathematics, Aviation, Civil Engineering, Bio-Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Electrical Engineering, etc.

Academic Discipline: Social Science/Humanities

Purpose: To recognize students with a strong commitment to their academic major.
Criteria: 3.0 GPA;Show commitment to major through major course completion, activities associated with major, research into transfer and/or employment opportunities, etc.
MAJORS: Social Science, Behavioral Science, Child Development, Criminal Justice, Law, Humanities, etc.

Academic Discipline: Workforce/Career

Purpose: To recognize students pursuing an AA/AS degree or certificate that leads to employment without transfer.
Criteria: 2.0 GPA; Show commitment to major through major course completion, activities associated with major, research into employment opportunities, etc.
MAJORS: Health Technologies, Massage Therapy, Medical Lab Technology, Dental Assisting/Hygiene, Pharmacy Technician, Radiologic Technology, Veterinary Technology, Respiratory Therapy

Community Engagement

Purpose: To recognize students with a strong commitment to community service off campus; or, on campus engagement, including leadership, athletics, or club activities.
Criteria: 2.5 GPA; Evidence of service to the community through voluntary activities, agency associations, personal sacrifice or dedication, etc.

Great Perseverance

Purpose: To recognize students who have persevered academically having overcome a great hardship, having lived with a disability, being the first in their family to go to college, overcoming economic hardship, having re-entered college after a period of absence, single parent, etc.
Criteria: 2.0 GPA; Evidence of perseverance through personal statement, letters of recommendation, financial need, verification of disability, etc.

Transfer

Purpose: To recognize students who are ready for transfer to a four-year university. Criteria: 2.5 GPA; Evidence of completion of general education requirements application for transfer.

Specialty

Purpose: To recognize students who meet a unique set of criteria. Criteria: Proceeds from endowed scholarships of at least $25,000. Criteria developed with donor input.