The Santa Ynez Valley Foundation has opened the application period for its College Scholarship Program. Graduating high school seniors residing in the Santa Ynez Valley and Los Alamos are invited to apply for scholarships ranging from $500-$2,000.

The scholarships are designed to support students in their pursuit of higher education at colleges or universities.

In addition, applications for the second-year scholarship program are being accepted from college students attending a second year in 2024-25 who were awarded Santa Ynez Valley Foundation scholarships as high school seniors.

Scholarship applications can be accessed online at syvalleyfoundation.org/scholarship-application. Deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. March 14.

Since its establishment in 1991, the foundation has served as a key source for the distribution of funds with the clear purpose of partnering with the community to enhance the quality of life in the Santa Ynez Valley and Los Alamos.

A number of grant recipients are first generation college students, said Esther Jacobsen Bates, foundation administrator, adding that previous awardees have come back to contribute to the Santa Ynez Valley and Los Alamos communities, assuming roles as educators, firefighters, healthcare professionals, and civic leaders.

The array of subjects pursued by the foundation’s scholarship winners span “mechanical engineering, auto mechanics, graphic design, software engineering, education, health sciences, arts, and humanities,” Bates said.

Presently, more than 50 students are beneficiaries of this program, receiving scholarships to facilitate their pursuit of higher education.

For more, visit www.SYFoundation.org or phone 805-688-2991.