Scholarships to Support NYC High School Students

The Fund for Public Schools is proud to manage a wide range of scholarship accounts made possible by generous philanthropic donors that provide high school students with a financial boost toward higher education. The Fund supports individuals, companies, or organizations by starting and managing scholarship accounts that can leave an enduring mark in the lives of students.

Memorial scholarship funds can provide a meaningful way for family or colleagues to honor the memory of a loved one and carry their legacy forward to future generations. Company-sponsored scholarships can enable a business of any size to empower the next generation of leaders through a sustainable philanthropic partnership aligned to their company’s values.

In the 2019-20 school year alone, The Fund managed more than 44 named scholarship programs for students across the five boroughs. Many of the students who benefit are the first in their families to attend college, and many are immigrants who have overcome significant barriers to build a bright future for themselves and their families. Select examples of scholarship programs currently managed by The Fund include:

• O’Melveny & Myers Scholarship Awards encourage promising students to continue to excel and realize their dream of attending college. Every year, fifteen eleventh grade students from public high schools across the City’s five boroughs are selected as O’Melveny & Myers Scholars. Each of the students has demonstrated uncompromising excellence, distinctive leadership, and a commitment to community service as a high school student. Students are provided scholarship award allocations over a four-year period ranging from $500 to $3,500.

• The Javits Juniors Scholarship Program, now in its fourth year, supports the college aspirations of high school students while encouraging them to seek ways to improve their community through public service and innovative thinking. In 2019-20, five $10,000 scholarships were awarded to Career and Technical Education (CTE) high school seniors from the High School of Fashion Industries and the Urban Assembly School for Design and Construction. 

• The Sherman Charitable Trust Scholarship was established in 2000 by William Sherman, an alumnus of Bronx High School of Science, in honor of his parents. The scholarship benefits one Bronx High School of Science student per year who demonstrates high academic standing, a record of community service, is facing economic challenges, and is recommended by school administration and staff. In 2019-20, a $10,000 scholarship was awarded to a student currently attending the University of Michigan. 

• The Pearl and David Glaubman Memorial Fund (Big 10 University Scholarship) was established by Beth L. Kaufman in memory of her parents, Pearl and David Glaubman. The Memorial Fund awards a college scholarship to one or more outstanding Queens public high school seniors who have committed to attend a Big 10 University in the Fall following their senior year. To win the scholarship, students must demonstrate academic excellence and leadership skills. The awards range from $1,000 to $7,500 depending on the number of award recipients in a given year.

While all scholarships share the same goal of supporting students’ postsecondary plans, The Fund helps to establish unique and impactful scholarships guided by general preferences indicated by the donor, such as:

• Scholarship reach, including whether to make it available to a single student or a group of students, or within a specific school or across the city.

• Scholarship criteria, such as financial need, academic performance, college focus area, an essay, recommendations, or other considerations.

• Magnitude and length of the scholarship, which could be either a one-time or multi-year scholarship over a determined period, or an endowed scholarship to support students far into the future.

In collaboration with the New York City Department of Education, The Fund issues scholarship awards either directly to students or to a postsecondary institution on a student’s behalf, while remaining consistent with the vision of our generous donors. The Fund can also provide assistance in creating online donation pages to activate networks of supporters and raise additional money toward a scholarship account.    

Education is a gift that keeps on giving. If you are interested in creating a lasting legacy through a gift to benefit our City’s public school students, please contact us.