Scholarships

The Taos Community Foundation First Generation College Scholarship is a comprehensive college scholarship that pays towards the costs of tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies.

It is a supplemental or “last dollar” scholarship and therefore secondary to all other grants /scholarships awarded to the scholar. After considering the student’s other community or academic institutional awards, the First Generation Scholarship Fund will pay toward the remaining costs of the scholar’s education.

The amount of the scholarship is unique to each scholar and can vary from year to year, and could be up to an annual award of $15,000.00 per year for 4 years.

The Beatrice T. Gutierrez and Virgil D. Gutierrez Legacy Scholarship was established in 2018 by the children of Beatrice and Virgil Gutierrez. Mr. and Mrs. Gutierrez devoted their lives to teaching in Taos Public Schools.

The scholarship will be available to seniors graduating from High Schools in Taos County, with a preference to those students who intend to pursue studies in mathematics, education or science (including but not limited to social, biological and environmental sciences) by attending a 4 year college or university with an overall goal of providing service to their family and/or community upon graduation. The 4 year institution award is up to $14,000, paid out across 4 years if a 3.0 GPA is maintained.

The scholarship will also be available to seniors graduating from High Schools in Taos County, with a preference to those students who intend to pursue a 2-year vocational program with an overall goal of providing service to their family and/or community upon graduation. The 2 year institution award is up to $4,000, paid out across 2 years.

The Manuel & Fillie Garcia Hispanic Scholarship was established as a permanent fund of Taos Community Foundation in 2011.

The award is available to graduating seniors in Taos and western Colfax Counties with preference to Hispanic students pursuing advancement of higher education.

The scholarship is available to those applying to 4 year colleges and universities as well as 2 year vocational/trade schools. The award amount will be determined at the time of committee review.

This award is typically renewable for up to three years if a 3.0 GPA is maintained and all required paperwork is returned in accordance with the Scholarship Agreement.

The Taos Diplomats Scholarship was first established in 2015 by Peter Winter (Taos High ’04) and Dori Winter, currently Foreign Service Officers with the U.S. Department of State.

This award is open to graduating High School Seniors from Taos County (GPA of 3.0 or above) who are interested in pursuing a degree in fields such as international affairs, political science, public and government policy, global communications, international education and development, global health, international business, and foreign languages or studying abroad. This scholarship is open to those applying to 4 year colleges and universities as well as 2 year vocational/trade schools.

The award ranges from $250.00 to $1,000.00 and is paid directly to the student’s account at the college or university attended.

The Edgar F. Meyer Scholarship was established in 2022 by his family. Edgar F. Meyer was a distinguished biochemist, creative scientist and passionate educator who died in 2015.

This scholarship is awarded in E.F. Meyer’s memory to students who are planning to study and build a career in the fields of healthcare and /or education and who show creativity, drive, and the ability to overcome hardship in pursuing their dreams.

The scholarship will be available to seniors graduating from Taos County High Schools who plan to pursue advanced studies by attending a 4 year college or university. The Scholarship will also consider those applying to 2 year vocational or trade schools.

The award is up to $4,000 paid out at $1,000 per year for up to 4 years for those students attending a 4 year institution or up to $2,000 paid out at $1,000 per year for 2 years for those students attending a 2 year institution if a 3.0 GPA is maintained and all other requirements are met.

The Friedman Family Scholarship was established in 1998. The award is available to graduating seniors in Taos and western Colfax Counties for students pursuing advancement of higher education.

Applicant or applicant’s parent, guardian or close relative must have worked at the Taos Ski Valley for at least one season. This includes any position that is geographically within Taos Ski Valley.

The scholarship is available to those applying to 4 year colleges and universities as well as 2 year vocational/trade schools. The award is up to $ 8,000.00 paid out at $2,000 annually for up to four years if a 3.0 GPA is maintained.

The Claud N. Hyatt Scholarship was established in 2023 as a permanent fund of Taos Community Foundation. Mr. Hyatt started his teaching career in 1964, and dedicated his entire career to teaching history at Clayton High School. His desire to give back to the Clayton community has made this scholarship possible.

The award is available to graduating seniors of Clayton High School (323 South Fifth St. Clayton, NM 88415), who are pursuing advancement of higher education beyond high school.

The scholarship is available to those applying to 2 or 4 year colleges and universities as well as vocational / trade schools. Award amounts will be determined at the time of committee review and will be within the range of $2,000 and $8,000. The awards will be paid out in annual installments for up to four years for those students attending a 4 year institution, 2 years for those students attending a 2 year institution, or per unit for certificate programs. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA and be enrolled as a full time student to continue eligibility for the scholarship.