Thanks to our Donors
The following guide is for prospective donors who are considering sponsoring a scholarship for students at De Anza College. Your donation will be received by the Foothill-De Anza Foundation.
You can have an impact on student success for decades to come!
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 10 years and request distribution of the entire gift each year – or request distribution of $2,500 yearly and investment of the remaining $2,500 into an endowment account.
Endowed scholarships provide a lasting tribute in honor or 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 Foothill-De Anza 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. You can simply choose the scholarship that appeals to you! For gifts of $1,000 or more, the donor’s name will appear on our online scholarship application.
Several categorical scholarships are currently 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 one to 20 scholarships of varying amounts.
Category: Academic Achievement
Purpose: To recognize students with a rigorous commitment to academic excellence.
Criteria: 3.5 GPA
Category: 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; demonstrated commitment to major through achievements such as major course completion, activities associated with major or research into transfer or employment opportunities.
Majors: Biology, Zoology, Marine Biology, Cell & Molecular Biology, Health Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Pre-Med, Bio-Chemistry, Kinesiology, Botany, BS Nursing , Nutrition, Physical Therapy.
Academic Discipline: Business/Computer Science
Purpose: To recognize students with a strong commitment to their academic major.
Criteria: 3.0 GPA; demonstrated commitment to major through achievements such as major course completion, activities associated with major or research into transfer or employment opportunities.
Majors: Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, Marketing, MIS, Economics, Human Resources, Law, Information Systems, Computer Science.
Academic Discipline: Creative/Fine Arts
Purpose: To recognize students with a strong commitment to their academic major.
Criteria: 3.0 GPA; demonstrated commitment to major through achievements such as major course completion, activities associated with major or research into transfer or employment opportunities.
Majors: Art, Art History, Design, Graphic Communications, Photography, Film/TV, Multimedia, Music, Dance, Theater.
Academic Discipline: Language Arts
Purpose: To recognize students with a strong commitment to their academic major.
Criteria: 3.0 GPA; demonstrated commitment to major through major course completion, activities associated with major or research into transfer or employment opportunities.
Majors: Languages, English, Creative Writing, Linguistics.
Academic Discipline: Physical Education/Athletics
Purpose: To recognize students with a strong commitment to their academic major.
Criteria: 3.0 GPA; demonstrated commitment to major through achievements such as major course completion, activities associated with major or research into transfer or employment opportunities.
Majors: Exercise Science, Community Health, Occupational Health, Recreation, Physical Education.
Academic Discipline: Physical Science/Math/Engineering
Purpose: To recognize students with a strong commitment to their academic major.
Criteria: 3.0 GPA; demonstrated commitment to major through achievements such as major course completion, activities associated with major or research into transfer or employment opportunities.
Majors: Astronomy, Geology, Meteorology, Statistics, Mathematics, Aviation, Civil Engineering, Bio-Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Electrical Engineering.
Academic Discipline: Social Science/Humanities
Purpose: To recognize students with a strong commitment to their academic major.
Criteria: 3.0 GPA; demonstrated commitment to major through achievements such as major course completion, activities associated with major or research into transfer or employment opportunities.
Majors: Social Science, Behavioral Science, Child Development, Criminal Justice, Law, Humanities.
Academic Discipline: Workforce/Career
Purpose: To recognize students pursuing an associate’s degree or certificate that leads to employment without transfer.
Criteria: 2.0 GPA; demonstrated commitment to major through achievements such as major course completion, activities associated with major or research into employment opportunities.
Majors: Administration of Justice, Automotive Technology, Health Technologies, Massage Therapy, Medical Lab Technology, Nursing AS, Dental Assisting/Hygiene, Pharmacy Technician, Radiologic Technology, Veterinary Technology, Respiratory Therapy.
Category: Community Engagement
Purpose: To recognize students with a strong commitment to off-campus community service or on-campus campus engagement through such activities as leadership, athletics or clubs.
Criteria: 2.5 GPA; evidence of service to the community through voluntary activities, agency associations, personal sacrifice or dedication.
Category: Great Perseverance
Purpose: To recognize students who have persevered academically while overcoming a great hardship, such as 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 or being a single parent.
Criteria: 2.0 GPA; evidence of perseverance such as a personal statement, letters of recommendation, financial need or verification of disability.
Category: 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.
Category: Specialty
Purpose: To recognize students who meet a unique set of criteria.
Criteria: Developed with donor input; funded by proceeds from endowed scholarships of at least $25,000.