Find Your Passion
Scholarship Funds
OCCF believes in the transformative power of education to change lives and uplift our entire community. Our donors make a significant impact on the lives of students who wish to pursue a higher education. OCCF facilitates two countywide scholarship programs and customized programs for donors with special interests.
Hispanic Education Endowment Fund
The Hispanic Education Endowment Fund (HEEF) improves access to higher education for Orange County’s Hispanic/Latino youth. The fund is a resource to academically talented Hispanic/Latino youth who need to overcome financial barriers to complete a college degree. HEEF is a collaborative of more than 30 funding partners that offer individual awards of $2,500-$5,000 across multiple areas of interest.
The Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program improves college readiness for students with academic potential who may have multiple barriers to accessing a college degree. The AVID Scholarship Program is operated in collaboration with the Orange County Department of Education and 10 funding partners that offer individual awards of $2,500-$6,250 per year to qualified AVID graduating seniors in Orange County. Awards are generally renewable over 4 years to support college completion.
Orange County Promise
The Orange County Promise is a new initiative launched in 2018 to address the problem of low college completion rates among disadvantaged and first-generation college students. The purpose of this initiative is to provide additional, non-financial support to ensure higher college completion rates for OCCF scholarship recipients. OCCF partners with InsideTrack to provide coaching programs and tailored support to college students.
Custom Scholarship Programs
There are many reasons to decide to establish a scholarship fund. Scholarships can be created to memorialize a loved one, help disadvantaged students, recognize academic excellence, or reward community involvement. OCCF partners with Scholarship America to develop scholarship programs that reflect each donor’s personal goals and interest.
