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Ventura County Community Foundation
Click here to read the 2009 Scholarship Guidelines. This document is for reference only, detailing eligibility criteria for the awards.
2009 COMMUNITY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
- deadline was January 16, 2009.
We are not accepting applications at this time.
Please check our website in early fall 2009 to learn the timetable for the 2010 VCCF Scholarship Program.
Scholarship Fund for Ventura County
The Ventura County Community Foundation is a public charity dedicated to increasing the quality of life in Ventura County by encouraging local philanthropy to respond to needs through responsible grant making and scholarship programs. The Ventura County Community Foundation has many different scholarship funds that were created by individuals, corporations, and organizations to assist local students pursuing higher education or career training.
In addition to scholarships for which students apply to VCCF annually (listed in the annual Scholarship Guidelines), the Community Foundation also oversees school-managed programs in which school personnel select recipients for certain scholarship awards according to donor criteria. Graduating high school seniors, community college students, and California State University, Channel Islands students should check with their school’s Career/Counseling Center to learn more about these awards.
Ventura County Community Foundation has collaborated with the Ventura County Star since 2004 to offer scholarship awards to graduating seniors at every high school in Ventura participating in the Ventura County Star Scholar Program. Ventura County Star Scholars are selected by representatives from their high schools. The Community Foundation established the endowed Scholarship Fund for Ventura County but the fund does not generate enough to make awards to the 70 - 85 Star Scholars named annually by their high schools. Thus VCCF works to raise money so awards may be made to each Star Scholar. The dollar amount of the awards depends upon the success of our annual fundraising efforts for the program. We encourage all Ventura County residents to join us by investing in the youth of our county as they pursue their educational dreams.
Click here for more information about the
Scholarship Fund for Ventura County
Need money for college?
For information about applying for federal student aid as well as information and links to other sources of aid, go to:
Federal Student Aid
www.studentaid.ed.govA comprehensive online college planning resource for middle and high school students as well as parents, counselors, and mentors:
Know How 2Go
www.KnowHow2Go.orgYou may find the following websites helpful in locating financial aid and other college related information.
California Colleges
http://www.californiacolleges.edu/College Board Online
www.collegeboard.comCollegeNet’s Mach 25 Scholarship Database
www.collegenet.com/mach25Hobsons College View
www.collegeview.comUnited States Department of Education
www.ed.govEducation Online Search
www.education-online-search.comFastWeb College and Scholarship Database
www.fastweb.comThe SmartStudent Guide to Financial Aid
www.finaid.orgHispanic Scholarship Fund
www.hsf.netPetersons- College Search, Test Prep & Financial Aid
www.petersons.comScholarship Help and Advice Center
www.scholarshiphelp.orgFree College Scholarship Search & Financial Aid Resource
www.scholarships.comScholarship Resource Network
www.srnexpress.comStudent Nurse Journey
A Resource Community for Student Nurses
(includes a section on nursing scholarships)
www.snjourney.com/Study Abroad Information
www.studyabroad.comUnited Negro College Fund
www.uncf.orgThe Japanese American Citizens League
(JACL)
www.vcjacl.orgWiredScholar- Planning for College Destination
www.WiredScholar.comMatch College.com
www.matchcollege.comCollege Preparation Checklist
(click here)The Top Reasons Applicants Don't Win VCCF Scholarships
- The applicant is not eligible. The applicant is not eligible according to the criteria required for the scholarship. For example, the description in the Guidelines specifies majoring in Agriculture and you plan to major in Math.
- The application is incomplete. In addition to a completed official scholarship application form, VCCF requires applicants submit two separate letters of recommendation, an essay of 750 or fewer words, and an unofficial transcript for each application packet. We require one official sealed transcript. If your application is missing any of the required elements it will be marked incomplete.
- The letters of Recommendation do not meet requirements or are not very informative. Letters of recommendation from relatives are not accepted. At least one of the two required letters of recommendation must be from a current faculty member at the school you are attending when you apply for scholarships. Both letters should be from people who know you and can share something about you in their letters of recommendation addressed to the VCCF Selection Committee. All recommendation letters must be dated within the prior 6 months and must be signed. We prefer recommendation letters typed on school or business letterhead
- You are missing required signatures. Your application will be considered incomplete if the signature pages are blank, if you do not fill out the financial aid assistance questionnaire page (if you are applying for scholarships that require financial need), or you leave the activities/work resume pages blank.
- The application is late. If your application arrives at VCCF after the deadline it will not be considered. Postmarks are not accepted. Applications must be received in the VCCF offices no later than 5 p.m. on the day of the deadline. Do your best to deliver or mail your application packet(s) earlier than the deadline.
- The essay is not informative. Selection Committee reviewers want to read student essays that are personal and specific. Impersonal non-informative essays or research papers with footnotes are not compelling narratives that help Selection Committee members get to know you as an applicant and learn about your goals and hopes for the future. Think of your essay as a narrative picture of you!
- The application has errors or is not well done. Errors in spelling and grammar are part of the overall impression when the Selection Committee reads your essay. Double check your work and realize spell check programs do not catch everything. Consider asking someone else read your application and essay for fresh insight
Ventura County Community Foundation (VCCF) is a non-profit public charity. Established in 1987 by leading local citizens, VCCF’s mission is to promote and enable philanthropy to improve our community and to build long-term capital for the benefit of Ventura County.
Toward this end, the Ventura County Community Foundation:
- Engages donors;
- Builds and preserves permanent endowments;
- Provides effective grant making from donor-advised, field-of-interest, unrestricted and other VCCF funds;
- Provides management and leadership training and education for Ventura County nonprofits;
- Serves as an independent partner for philanthropic civic engagement, addressing community needs.
If you are interested in investing in youth, consider making a contribution to the General Scholarship Funds at Ventura County Community Foundation to expand the number of scholarships awarded in any given year or to add to an endowment to increase scholarship awards in future years.
You may also be interested in creating your own scholarship fund! For more information, please contact program officer for donor relations (805-988-0196, Ext. 115) or explore the “Donors Giving” link on this webpage.
The 2008 Scholarship Awards Reception Program
(click here)
- Scholarship Funds 2007 -(click here)
Scholarship Recipients 2007 -(click here)
Star Scholarship Recipients 2007 -(click here)
Scholarship Funds 2006 -(click here)
Scholarship Recipients 2006 -(click here)
Star Scholarship Recipients 2006 -(click here)
Scholarship Recipients 2005 -(click here)
Star Scholarship Recipients 2005 -(click here)
last page update 05.07.09
VCCF has been certified in compliance with national standards of excellence for community foundations
by the Council on Foundations.
Member, League of California Community Foundations.
