Foundation celebrates students awarded record $5.54 million in scholarships

Some of the scholarship recipients at Saturday’s San Diego Foundation luncheon. (Photo courtesy of the foundation) The San Diego Foundation on Saturday awarded a record-breaking $5.54 million in scholarships to expand higher education access for 1,371 students. At its annual Community Scholarship Celebration, held at the San Diego Zoo, the foundation brought together 500 scholarship recipients, many of whom are low-income, their loved ones and donors.  Special guests included U.S. Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-San Diego, and state Assemblymember Chris Ward. “Through the Community Scholarship Program, San Diego Foundation is ensuring that local students’ preparation for college is matched with the financial support needed to succeed and grow our region’s future workforce,” Mark Stuart, the organization’s president and CEO, said in a news release. For the 2025-2026 season, the program granted 1,678 awards from 160 scholarship funds worth a total of almost $5.54 million, exceeding last year’s total by more than $500,000. Among the recipients were 789 first-time awardees, including: 74% who are first-generation college students or the first in their immediate families to pursue higher education. 92% who are considered low-middle income. 42% who identify as Latino/a. 14% who identify as U.S.-born Black and/or African American. 62% who are affiliated with a college access and readiness program, such as AVID, Reality Changers and TRIO/Upward Bound. The figures, provided by the foundation’s Student Aid Index (formerly known as Earned Family Contribution), underscore why investing in underrepresented students is important, officials said. Strengthening opportunities for Black and Latino/a students to compete for high-demand innovation jobs is vital to meet the region’s projected need for 20,000 new skilled workers each year and fosters inclusive economic growth, according to the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp. “It was an honor to speak to future scholars and witness firsthand the incredible difference San Diego Foundation is making in the lives of so many students,” said Becky Petitt, a vice chancellor at UC San Diego, who was the keynote speaker at SDF’s Scholarship Celebration. “By investing in their education and dreams, San Diego Foundation is not only transforming individual futures but also strengthening the fabric of our entire community.” Pettit serves on the advisory council of the National Rainbow College Fund, a new foundation initiative supporting LGBTQ+ and other students across California. This year, support for the fund helped triple the number student scholarships. Applications were submitted by more than 4,000 local high school seniors, community college, graduate and adult re-entry students, set to study a variety of subjects, including science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), health sciences and more. “There were moments in high school when I truly didn’t know if I’d make it,” said Sajanah King, a scholarship recipient and Young & Prosperous Foundation participant who graduated in May. “I faced setbacks, self-doubt and hard lessons — but I kept going.” The Lincoln High School grad is headed to Morgan State University this fall to major in psychology. “This scholarship is more than just funding,” King said. “It’s a reminder that my story isn’t over, and that people believe in where it’s going next.” The Community Scholarship Program is made possible through the donor support of 154 charitable funds at San Diego Foundation, which is the largest non-university scholarship provider in the region.  Since its inception in 1997, the program has awarded more than $54 million to 15,400 students.