Each year, we award three $10,000 scholarships to college-bound students in the Bay Area:
- The Young Author’s Scholarship
- The Nathan Jillson Memorial Scholarship
- The Irving Hochman Scholarship
To be eligible you must:
- be a high school graduate or graduating senior.
- demonstrate financial need.
- live in the Bay Area.
- demonstrate intent to enroll in a vocational school, college, or university.
Applicants should also have an extracurricular interest in the written word.
Anyone who meets the above criteria may apply, but preference will be given to students who attend public high schools in San Francisco.
Read about our 2008 scholarship winners.
The deadline for 2009 scholarships is March 12.
2009 APPLICATION GUIDELINES
Please type all written materials in a legible 12-point font. A complete application contains the following materials (please number each section of your application accordingly):
- A top sheet with your name, the name and city of your high school, your phone number, home address, and email address. Please also include a list of schools to which you are applying, and an explanation of your choices.
- ONE of the two items below:
- A copy of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) if you have already completed it, OR
- A one-paragraph explanation of your financial need. For example, does your family receive any federal benefits such as food stamps, free or reduced price lunch, or temporary assistance for needy families? Please include how you will fund your college education if you do not receive this scholarship.
- An essay, no more than three pages in length, telling us a bit about yourself. What do you hope to accomplish with your college education? What sets you apart? What are your passions? How will you make an impact on your community or the community at large? If you have such an essay already written, you may use it.
- An original story or essay, of whatever length, describing your first memory of getting caught in the rain. This essay will mostly likely be new material for this application, and it will give us another idea of how you express yourself through writing.
- At least one reference from a teacher or mentor. You may include this endorsement along with your application, as long as it is signed and sealed. It may also be sent to us directly from the letter writer.
The following materials are optional:
- a picture of you with your family
- additional written work
Send applications to:
826 Valencia—Scholarship Program
826 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
To submit applications via email, please forward all materials to Emilie Coulson. Applicants may also drop applications off at 826 Valencia. If you need facilities to type and print your work, 826 Valencia is available for this purpose.
The final deadline for all 2009 scholarship applications is Thursday, March 12.
Questions? Contact Emilie Coulson or by phone (415-642-5905 x 207).