Below are this year's hyper local scholarships. 

 

DAR Good Citizens Scholarship--Deadline October 6 : $500-5000. Merit-based. For male or female high school seniors. U.S. citizenship not required. $500 for district winner, and up to $5000 for national winner. For students who exemplify the qualities of a good citizen: dependability, service, leadership, patriotism. Finalists  will write a proctored essay with a two-hour time limit (no studying or preparation needed whatsoever). The essay topic is usually related to an aspect of good citizenship, and you are asked to draw examples from personal experience, your observations of society, and/or any academic knowledge you may have gained. 

Bay Area All-Star Scholarship Team (BAASST)—Deadline January 14: $5000. Need-aware. For students who display leadership qualities in and outside the classroom, demonstrate the value of education, good work ethic, community outreach and extracurricular activities. Minimum GPA 3.0. Only two male and two female nominees from each high school can be nominated. 

 

Northern California Scholarship--Deadline January 14: $8000. Renewable for 4 years. Merit and Need-based. US Citizens and Permanent resident only.  For students who have taken a rigorous course load, have excelled academically, are significantly involved in their community, and demonstrate financial need to afford college. 

 

University Club of Palo Alto--Deadline January 14: Up to $5,000. Renewable for 4 years. Need-based. No citizenship requirements. Strong GPA of A-/B+ average. Students with work experience strongly preferred. Student should also have extracurriculars and volunteering experience. 

 

Silicon Valley Realtors Scholarship--Deadline January 14: $1,500. Must be attending a four-year college in the fall of 2023. U.S. Citizens and permanent residents only. Students need extensive commitment to community service. It is recommended that students have a GPA of 3.7 and above. 

Peninsula College Fund—Deadline February 2025 : $3000 per year for 4 years. Need-based. Local scholarship. GPA 2.8-3.8 cumulative GPA (unweighted). No citizenship requirements. Must plan to attend a four-year accredited college/university beginning in the fall. Underrepresented minority and/or first-generation college student. Demonstrate an ability to overcome obstacles to achieve academic and personal goals. Demonstrate active involvement in the community or active engagement with others via work, school, or family responsibilities. Application linked HERE.

 

Silicon Valley Community Foundation Scholarships—Deadlines Vary. Many February 2025. This is an AMAZING set of scholarships to check out because many are VERY local. Some are specifically for Santa Clara county residents only too! Be careful to check for their citizenship requirements as well. See the full list here: https://www.siliconvalleycf.org/scholarships

Hale/Ruppert Educational Scholarship—Deadline February 2025 to $10,000. US Citizens and AB 540 students. Need-based. Applicant is a 'late bloomer' who demonstrates academic promise and continuous grade point average improvement during high school or college; Maximum cumulative GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale; Applicant demonstrates community involvement. Application linked HERE.

Rotary Club of Los Altos--Deadline February 2025 : $800-2,500. Need-based. Minimum 3.0 GPA. Student committed to community service. Expired application linked HERE.

 

Rotary Club of Mountain View--Deadline February 2025 : $500-2,000. Need-based. Student with a solid academic record. Student committed to community service. Expired application linked HERE.

 

MVLA Scholars--Deadline February 2025: $2,000-6,000. Need-based. Renewable. Minimum 2.75 GPA. First-generation college students given special consideration. Students would be assigned a mentor to support them in college. Expired application linked HERE.

 

Mountain View Chamber of Commerce--Deadline February 2025 . Need-based. Minimum 2.5 GPA. Student committed to community service. For students interested in community and 4-year colleges. Expired application linked HERE.

Science for Good Scholarship--Deadline March 2025. $1,500-7,000. Needs-based and Merit-based. Recommended above 3.0 GPA. A scholarship in memorial of R. Scott Chan, a former high school physics teacher. For seniors interested in majoring in science or engineering. Expired application linked HERE.

Deborah Dexter Science Scholarship--Deadline March 2025. $1,000. For women only. Merit-based. Must love science and excel in science classes. Rigorous science classes suggested. Minimum 3.5 GPA for unweighted Academic 10-12 GPA. Expired application linked HERE.

 

Deborah Dexter Engineering Scholarship--Deadline March 2025: $1,000. Merit-based. Must love engineering and science or simply engineering. Demonstrated excellence in science or engineering courses. Minimum 3.5 GPA for unweighted Academic 10-12 GPA.  Expired application linked HERE.

 

Deborah Dexter Scholarship for New Americans--Deadline March 2025: Merit and Need-Based. For undocumented, DACA, or international students. Must demonstrate high motivation and commitment to your community. Minimum 2.5 GPA for unweighted Academic 10-12 GPA. Expired application linked HERE.

Pavan Reddy Scholarship--Deadline April 2025: $2,000. For seniors admitted to and attending Cal Poly SLO. Merit-Based and Need-Aware. Future science or engineering majors given special consideration. Expired application linked HERE.

Mountain View Sister City--Deadline March 2025. $500. Merit-Based. Student should be involved in extracurriculars and community service. Expired application linked HERE.

Kiwanis Club of Mountain View--Deadline April 2025: Up to $2,000. Need-based. Recommended be 3.0 GPA or above. Student committed to community service. Students involved in Key Club and Girl or Boy Scouts given special consideration. Expired application linked HERE.

Barbara Emerich Memorial Scholarship-- April 2025. $750. Merit-based.  For US Citizens and Undocumented students. For seniors who may attend community college or 4-year universities and are current members of the PTA. Must have demonstrated community service. Expired application linked HERE.

Los Altos Kiwanis Scholarship--Deadline April 2025.  $3,200. Need-aware and Merit-Based. For seniors who plan to attend Foothill or De Anza Colleges. Expired application linked HERE.

Mountain View Odd Fellows Scholarship--Deadline Early May 2025. $1,000.  Need-based and merit-based. For seniors with dedicated service to their community. Application coming.

There are a few national scholarships that you might be interested in as a junior. Keep in mind national scholarships are VERY competitive to get, make sure that you match the criteria for these opportunities. And while they are a lot of work, it's great practice for applying to scholarships your senior year.

 

Horatio Alger National Scholarship- Deadline March 15, 2025. $25,000. Minimum 2.0 GPA. US Citizens only. Be involved in volunteering/community service. Have a family adjusted gross income less than $55,000 a year. Application linked HERE.