Cal Coast Cares Foundation
The mission of the Cal Coast Cares Foundation1 is to help local students attain their goal of earning a college education. The foundation, which was established by Cal Coast to honor the legacy of the teachers who started the credit union, provides scholarships for high school seniors, foster students, and college students and grants to educators in San Diego and Riverside counties. Since its inception in 2015, the foundation has awarded over $1,000,000 in scholarships and grants! This year, we are proud to be awarding an additional $260,000.
Student Scholarship Application Period Now Closed
The Cal Coast Cares Foundation awards scholarships to deserving college students, graduating high school seniors, and foster students who are in or have been in the foster care program in San Diego or Riverside counties to pursue accredited degrees.
We will be accepting applications in February 2025.
Sign up for our Interest List to stay updated on scholarship and grant opportunities and deadlines!
Congratulations to the 2024 student scholarship recipients!
The Cal Coast Cares Foundation is pleased to announce that it has awarded more than $171,000 in scholarships to support college-bound high school seniors, foster students and current college students in San Diego or Riverside counties! A list of the 2024 student scholarship awardees is below (note that foster youth names have been omitted for privacy).
Educator Grant Application Period Now Closed
The Educator Grant program provides educators in K-12 public, private or charter schools, community and state colleges/universities in San Diego or Riverside counties with monetary support for innovative classroom projects in any of the STREAM fields (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts, and Math). Grants ranging from $500 - $2500 are awarded for projects that have clear objectives, a strong evaluation component and indicate heavy student involvement with a goal of enhanced learning outcomes. In 2024, the Cal Coast Cares Foundation is pleased to provide up to $75,000 in educator grants!
2024/2025 Grant Recipients will be notified in December.
Supporting Local Educators and Students
Since its founding in 2015, the non-profit Cal Coast Cares Foundation1 has had an outsize impact on the lives of students and teachers across the region.
The Foundation, established by California Coast Credit Union as a separate 501(c)(3) non-profit, provides grants for teachers and scholarships for college-bound high school seniors, including a special program for current or former foster youth, in San Diego and Riverside counties.
“Our board of directors felt strongly about helping foster youth,” said Todd Lane, Vice Chair of the Foundation and CEO & President of California Coast Credit Union. “The board established a special set of criteria for foster applicants including fast-tracking first year recipients to allow them to easily qualify for a 2nd year scholarship as long as they met some very basic requirements. We feel this provides these students with an added degree of certainty and support that is probably lacking in other parts of their lives as they work through their special set of challenges.”
One of those former foster students to benefit from the Cal Coast Cares scholarship is Alexis Tenney, who is attending Grossmont College in La Mesa. She’s applying her scholarship to pursue a career goal inspired by her parents. “Being awarded this scholarship validates all my hard work is paying off. Because of the money I received, I will be able to earn my degree in Forensics with little or no student debt leftover,” said Tenney.
The Foundation has also directly impacted countless classrooms in the area through grants to teachers for classroom projects in the STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Arts and Math) topics. Grants have helped with everything from hydroponic greenhouse projects to robotics, chemistry kits and much more.
Teresa Basin, 4th grade teacher at Rail Ranch Elementary School in Murrieta, is one of the recipients of a recent classroom grant. She credited the Foundation with helping her inspire young minds. “The learning that takes place in the classroom should not only be academically rigorous, but also fun and engaging for students. Because of (the Foundation’s) generous donation, my students will be able to use the Robotic Legos as they collaborate in teams and solve real-world problems as they explore the world of engineering and science.”
The Cal Coast Cares Foundation hosts two signature annual fundraisers: a popular golf tournament and the Illuminate Pathways reception. The Foundation has been able to increase the number of scholarships and grants provided each year thanks to the generous financial contributions of community and business supporters.
Want to help us spread the word about the foundation? Share the link below with your friends and/or family members that are interested in learning more about our scholarship and grant program.
How You Can Help
Thank you for considering a donation to the Cal Coast Cares Foundation to help us continue our efforts to support our local San Diego and Riverside county educators and students through our grant and scholarships programs.
Donate Online
Support local students and teachers by making a secure credit/debit card donation here.2
Donate a Vehicle
Cal Coast Cares Foundation, has partnered with CARS3, another reputable non-profit organization, to collect vehicle donations of all kinds (even ones that are no longer running!)
80% of the net proceeds for each vehicle donated will go back to supporting the Cal Coast Cares Foundation.
- The Cal Coast Cares Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Federal Tax ID Number 47-5249703.
- Cash donations are tax-deductible as applicable by law. Consult your tax advisor for additional information.
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Charitable Adult Rides & Services (CARS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that administers and also benefits from this donation.
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