The scholarship program of the Grays Harbor Community Foundation awards scholarships to local students for undergraduate or graduate studies at any two- or four-year college or university.  Scholarships are generally $1,000 awards and are renewable for up to four years.

Click below for our 2009 Scholarship Program Application and Guidelines.

SCHOLARSHIP BOOKMARKS

• A list of available scholarships, with links to biographies

• Dates and deadlines

• Eligibility requirements

• Guidelines for the scholarship program

• Application instructions

• Where can I pick up a paper application?

OUR BEGINNING

Our scholarship program was established in 1999 by Lyle Lancaster, a life-long Grays Harbor resident and owner of a gift and hobby shop at the corner of Market and Broadway in downtown Aberdeen. 

A successful businessman, avid gardener, and voracious reader, Lyle wanted to expand the opportunities available to young people by helping them gain access to higher education.  Lyle's wife, Gertrude, passed away several years before his death.  With no children, Lyle left his entire estate to the Grays Harbor Community Foundation with directions to set up a scholarship program.  He simply asked that the scholarships be awarded to gifted students from Grays Harbor and Pacific counties. 

Within a year, other local donors heard about Lyle Lancaster's gift and began adding to it.  In 2000 we awarded two $1000 scholarships.  In 2001 we awarded 16.  In 2002, $29,000 in scholarships was awarded to 31 students.  In 2003 we awarded 37 scholarships of $1,000 apiece.  In 2004 we awarded 55 scholarships of between $500 and $1,500 apiece.  In 2005 the Community Foundation awarded 60 scholarships between $1,000 and $2,500, and absorbed the Dr. Donald and Edna Wheaton Memorial Scholarship Foundation which awarded 45 scholarships of between $200 and $800.  Now, in the 2008 - 2009 school year, we have 114 students on scholarship.

To learn how you can help expand this important program, read the section on "Scholarship Funds" in Ways You Can Give.

For the complete story on our scholarships, click here.

• A. M. and May Abel Memorial Scholarship

• W. H. and Ella Abel Memorial Scholarship

• Lydian Bush Memorial Scholarship

• Pennie Coffey Memorial Scholarship

• Dr. John D. “Jack” Ehrhart Memorial Scholarship

• George H. Hitchings Memorial Scholarship

• Dr. John C and Else V. Korvell Memorial Scholarship

• Lyle Lancaster Memorial Scholarships

• Lyle and Elizabeth Laughead Scholarships 

• Robert A. Mandich Scholarship Fund

• Ocean Protein Scholarship

• William and Bess Osheroff Memorial Scholarship

• Dorothea Parker Memorial Scholarship

• Gladys Phillips Memorial Scholarship

• Liz Preble Memorial Scholarship

• Hoquiam VFW Post #1135 Scholarship

• The Weatherwax Family Scholarships

  • Ben K. and Marian Weatherwax Scholarship

  • Ben S. and Blanche Weatherwax Memorial Scholarship

  • J. M. Weatherwax Memorial Scholarship

• Dr. Donald and Edna Wheaton Memorial Scholarships

• Grays Harbor Community Foundation Scholarships

Scholarships are awarded on an annual cycle.  Our deadline is April 1 of every year.  (Applications must be postmarked by then; we therefore expect to receive physically some applications a few days after this date.)  If April 1 falls on a weekend, the deadline will be the following Monday. 

Within two weeks, all applicants are notified by email that their application has been received.

Our scholarship committee reviews applications during April and May, and we announce the winners of each year's scholarships at the end of May.  We notify all applicants of the results of the committee's decisions, even if they did not receive a scholarship.

If changes are made to our scholarship application, they will be announced by mid-February of each year.

Scholarships are limited to students who graduated from a Grays Harbor or Pacific County high school and are still considered residents (or are dependents of parents who are considered residents) of either Grays Harbor or Pacific County. 

All applicants must meet the following requirements:

Every applicant …

Further, each undergraduate student …

Likewise, each graduate student …

Beyond meeting these basic requirements, each applicant should exhibit outstanding character, a proven work ethic, and the promise of useful citizenship.

These more qualitative judgments will be based on the applicant’s personal essay, letters of recommendation, and other information provided through the application form.

All scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic performance and financial need as well as qualitative judgments of character and ability, industry and service. The number of scholarships is limited each year by the availability of funds and the number of eligible applicants.

A scholarship committee processes and reviews all applications and makes distribution recommendations to the full board of directors of the Grays Harbor Community Foundation.  The full board gives final approval to the committee’s recommendations. 

The committee will only consider complete applications which fully meet the eligibility requirements.

Neither the committee nor the board discriminates on the basis of sex, race, religion, national origin, or handicap.

The scholarships will be paid directly to the college or university by written agreement.  Funds may be used for tuition, room and board, or any other required school fees and supplies.

The college or university may use scholarship funds to defray the recipient’s expenses or to pay funds to the recipient only if the recipient is enrolled at such institution and his or her standing there is consistent with the purposes of the scholarship.

Should the recipient fail to register for any quarter or semester, the college or university must advise the Grays Harbor Community Foundation of the change and return to it any unused portion of the scholarship.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

To apply for all scholarships available through the Grays Harbor Community Foundation, students need to complete only one application. 

(Former scholarship recipients must re-apply each year to receive an additional year of funding.  We allow up to four years' funding for each student who continues to meet our eligibility requirements.)

1. Complete and sign two forms:  the Application Form and Financial Information Form.  Through this link you may download and fill out the forms online, or print and fill them out by hand.  Submit a completed, printed, signed copy of each form with the following additional materials and information.

2. A personal essay, no longer than one page, typed and prepared by the applicant.

   In the essay, please describe your educational and career goals as you now imagine them.  You may also wish to explain any special circumstances affecting your application or tell us something about yourself which we might not learn from the rest of your application.

   The essay is an important part of your application and should be written thoughtfully.

3. Three written letters of recommendation.  Letters written for college admissions or similar purposes are acceptable.

4. A history of the applicant’s employment, both paid and volunteer.

5. Undergraduates - Certified transcripts from high school and all colleges attended (if applicable).  If the certified transcript does not include grades for the term most recently completed, include an unofficial copy of that grade report.

6. Graduate students - Certified transcripts from all colleges attended and graduate school (if applicable).  If the certified transcript does not include grades for the term most recently completed, include an unofficial copy of that grade report.

7. Graduate students - Documentation showing acceptance by a graduate program at an accredited university.

NOTES

It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that his or her application is complete. 

 

All applications will be retained by the Grays Harbor Community Foundation. 

 

We will inform each applicant of the selection committee’s decision by May 31.  All applicants are notified, even those who will not receive scholarships.

 

Please do not include in your application materials beyond what we request.  This includes newspaper clippings, photographs, and extended written materials.

 

For our convenience, please 3-hole punch your complete application (excluding materials in sealed envelopes).  Also, please do not use staples or other binding materials.  A simple paper clip will do just fine.  Your work will save us the tedious task of punching holes and removing staples from scores of applications.  (We organize the applications alphabetically into 3-ring binders for the convenience of the scholarship committee.)

 

Please feel free to make, share and use copies of this application.

 

If you have any questions about the scholarship program, please contact our office.  We will be happy to answer any and all questions, no matter how small or seemingly unimportant. 

When you have completed your application, please mail it, including all supporting materials, to:

Grays Harbor Community Foundation

P.O. Box 615

Hoquiam, Washington 98550

All the information you need to apply is available through our website at www.gh-cf.org.  Nonetheless, you are also welcome to use one of our paper applications.

In mid-February, we distribute copies of our paper application to all Grays Harbor and Pacific county high school counseling offices, the Grays Harbor College financial aid office, and the Aberdeen and Hoquiam public libraries.  Outside the season for scholarship applications (mid-February to April 1), applications may not be available from these locations.  You may request a copy from our office at any time.