To help close the higher education gap for students with financial need, the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara has worked diligently for 47 years to seek out donations and to distribute funds to youth. This year marks the 31st year the Scholarship Foundation has connected local art students with scholarship support from the community. Scholarships were awarded to 10 high school seniors planning to continue their education in the arts. This year’s winners attend Dos Pueblos, San Marcos, San Roque and Santa Barbara high schools.
Awards were based on the quality of student portfolios. The competition was judged by local artists Tony Askew and Patti Jacquemain, and art curator Susan Bush. The competition is hosted and sponsored by the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
Founded in 1962, the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara exemplifies the best in nonprofit management. For the last six years, Charity Navigator, the premiere independent evaluator of charities, awarded its top “Four Stars” rating to the Scholarship Foundation based on organizational efficiency and capacity, and fiscal management. Less than 2 percent of charities have earned this distinction.
In May 2008, the Scholarship Foundation awarded 2,001 scholarships totaling $6.4 million, with another 1,311 no-interest student loan awards for $2.2 million. In all, student aid amounts to $8.6 million.
Rebecca Anderson is the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara’s development director.