Donald A. Strauss Foundation Scholarship

The Donald A. Strauss Foundation Scholarship offers Chico State students the chance to
turn their passion for public service into meaningful action. With funding up to $15,000,
this prestigious award helps students bring innovative, student-designed service projects
to life, impacting both the campus and the broader community.

What is the Strauss Scholarship?

• Environmental sustainability
• Social justice and equity
• Education and mentorship
• Health and wellness
• Arts and culture
• Community development

Past Strauss Scholars have developed influential programs that have left a lasting legacy on their communities.

Scholarship Details

The scholarship is $15,000 total with a $7000 tuition/school cost limit. Applicants must have completed at least one year of college and will not graduate before June 2027. The applicant must have a GPA in the upper 1/3 of their class (you can verify this with the University Registrar). More information can be found on their website.

Points of contact for the scholarship:

• Amy Magnus, Director of Civic Engagement (ammagnus@csuchico.edu)
• Strauss Foundation (admin@straussfoundation.org; (949) 955-1930)
  

2024 Strauss Scholarship Awardee Chico State

Annie Belter, Project: G. R. O. Garden Resource Opportunity

Gardening is a powerful integration to have in children’s education, especially today, to respond to the rising trends of sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy diet development in the United States. Introducing a garden’s dynamic learning environment will help kids get up and moving, and develop strong relationships with vegetables and fruits, all while still learning mandatory lessons in school. In my home community of Glenn County, there are no sustainable school gardens, and I seek to change that. Project G.R.O will create an opportunity for elementary schools in Glenn County to form sustainable garden programs through providing solutions to the common issues of why schools don't have gardens. These issues are; no funding, not enough gardening knowledge, and not enough structure to incorporate gardening into learning cirriculums. My solution to address the first issue is to create “Garden Grants” that fund 5 elementary schools in Glenn County. To address the lack of gardening knowledge on school campuses, I am introducing the partnership of the Glenn County UC Master Gardeners to Glenn County schools, who will offer garden support for faculty as well as provide guest lessons to the students. Finally, to help teachers conveniently integrate gardening into their curriculum, I will be creating a spreadsheet called “Planter” where garden activities and the California State Standards they meet are connected.