Establish a Scholarship
One of the most powerful ways to make a lasting impact at Olympic College is to create a scholarship in your name or in honor of someone you love.
Scholarships change trajectories. They keep students enrolled when finances get tight, recognize academic excellence and perseverance, and signal to our community that someone believed in them enough to invest. The Olympic College Foundation awards more than 200 scholarships each year, and every one of them represents a donor who decided to make a difference.
When you establish a scholarship through the OC Foundation, you set the criteria such as the field of study, financial need, GPA, area of the county, and more and we take care of the rest. Our scholarship committee manages the selection process with care, ensuring your gift reaches the students who need it most and fit your vision.
Endowed Scholarships
An endowed scholarship is a permanent gift — a legacy that continues giving year after year, in perpetuity. Your contribution is invested, and the earnings are used annually to fund the scholarship. This means your gift keeps on growing and supporting students long into the future.
Endowed scholarships are named in your honor or the honor of someone you designate, and your generosity is recognized in our annual scholarship materials.
Minimum to establish an endowed scholarship: $75,000
Annual (Expendable) Scholarships
An annual scholarship is funded each year by your contributions and awarded in full during that scholarship cycle. This is an excellent option for donors who prefer to see an immediate, direct impact without a long-term endowment commitment. Annual scholarships can be established at a lower giving level and are equally meaningful to the students who receive them.Minimum annual contribution to establish an annual scholarship: $5,000
How to Get Started
Creating a scholarship is simpler than you might think. Here’s what the process looks like:
1
Contact the Foundation to discuss your goals, interests, and the type of scholarship you’d like to create.
2
Work with Foundation staff to draft a Scholarship Agreement that defines the award criteria, amount, name, and any special preferences.
3
Make your initial gift to establish the fund.
4
We’ll take it from there — promoting the scholarship, reviewing applications, selecting recipients, and connecting you with the students your generosity supports.
Naming Opportunities
Scholarships can be named in your own honor, in memory of a loved one, in recognition of a mentor or colleague, or in celebration of a personal milestone. Many donors find that naming a scholarship is one of the most meaningful gifts they’ve ever given.