Scholarships & Grants

Gifts are endowed (invested) and the earnings from those investments will serve people and ministries for generations to come. The Foundation supports a number of regular FUMC activities each year and accepts applications for scholarships and grants from members of the church.

The stated purpose of The United Methodist Foundation of Santa Rosa ("the Foundation") is to "educate, encourage, and enable individuals to carry out Christian activities" - both within the First United Methodist Church of Santa Rosa (FUMC) and outside in our community.

Each year, the Board of Directors determines what funds generated from the Foundation investments are available for distribution in scholarships and grants to further the ministries and members of the First United Methodist Church (FUMC). Information about Scholarships and Grants and the application process is noted below.

 
 
 

SCHOLARSHIPS

Educational scholarships are available through the United Methodist Foundation of Santa Rosa. The scholarships are available to students going to junior college, universities and trade schools, annually in June of each year. The Scholarship committee from the Board of Directors reviews the applications and makes recommendations to the full Board of Directors for approval. The date for applications are announced in the spring of each year.

The criteria used in awarding the scholarships include:

  1. Active participation in the First United Methodist Church programs, appropriate to the student's age

  2. Evidence of a growing Christian faith

  3. Potential for leadership in church, community and career

  4. Strong school performance.

The scholarships are funded from designated donations which have been received by the Foundation and have been invested. The income earned together with a portion of the appreciation on the principal amount in the scholarship funds is used to make the scholarship awards. The specific scholarship funds available today were established by individuals or in memory of individuals who were members of First United Methodist Church and desired to support the education of young people for years to come.

 The specific funds which are restricted to scholarships are:

  • Robert & Marie Brenstein Memorial Scholarship Fund. To be used for college scholarships, as determined by the Foundation Board.

  • Alice & Jack Kellar Scholarship Fund. To be used to assist a needy and qualified person up to the age of 35 to attend college.

  • Ann Rohde Memorial Scholarship Fund. To provide college scholarships, as determined by the Foundation Board.

  • Kay Choate Johnson Memorial Scholarship Fund. To provide funds to assist students who meet the following requirements; students must have at least a 2.5 grade point average; be members of FUMC with priority given to those who are actively involved in FUMC programs; those who have already received scholarships for two or more years shall be given consideration after others have been evaluated.

  • Ora Dale Gillette Memorial Scholarship Fund. To be given to a post graduate student in the field of counseling, as determined by the Board.

  • Pettyjohn Memorial Scholarship Fund. To provide college scholarships, as determined by the Foundation Board.

  • Wilfred and Elbert Rankin Memorial Fund. To be given to a student going to a 4-year college and active in the United Methodist Church.

  • FUMC General Scholarship Fund. (Ida Baggett Memorial) To provide college scholarships, as determined by the Foundation Board.


In addition to the specific scholarship funds, the Foundation Board also has the discretion to use funds from the general unrestricted endowment fund and the E & A McDonald Fund, to supplement available scholarship money.

 

Scholarship Recipients

As of December 31, 2018, the principal amount held in the scholarship funds was approximately $302,800 with about $12,000 available for scholarships in the coming year. These funds together with the other funds of the Foundation are managed by professional money managers through the California-Nevada United Methodist Foundation.

In 2019, the United Methodist Foundation of Santa Rosa awarded $13,000 in scholarships to eight young people active at First United Methodist Church:

 
 

  • all studying at 4 year universities and colleges, each received $2,000 to help with their tuition and fees.

  • each received a $500 scholarship for their academic work at Santa Rosa Junior College.

 
 

These young people are amazing individuals with passion, vision and admirable goals. The Foundation is proud to encourage them to reach for their best with this scholarship support.

The scholarships from United Methodist Foundation of Santa Rosa are lasting legacies in memory of individuals who cared about First United Methodist Church and about education. Those who made the donations cared enough to support young people they did not know, with the belief that it be powerful message to the recipients that the church is proud of them and their accomplishments and wishes to provide assistance with their education. Every year the Foundation is blessed to be able to provide this assistance to the scholarship recipients, with the prayers and best wishes of the church family to the scholarship recipients accompany these gifts.

Submit your scholarship application now!

 
 

GRANTS

The principal of donations made to the Foundation is perpetually invested, and distributions are made annually only up to an amount that protects the integrity of the corpus, or principal, of the fund into perpetuity.  A similar way of looking at it is that donations remain permanently invested and only the earnings are distributed, thereby ensuring that the fund will be able to distribute grants forever.

Grants from the Foundation are monetary awards drawn from either “Designated” or “Undesignated” funds managed by the Foundation.  “Designated” funds are gifts from donors who specified a specific purpose or vision for use of the funds.  For example, the cost of Bibles awarded to Sunday School third graders each year is covered by a gift made by a donor who designated that purpose for the funds in perpetuity.  Likewise, funds that were granted to assist in the establishment of the Stony Point Community Garden came from the Building & Grounds fund.

“Undesignated” funds are gifts for which no specific request for use of the funds was made by the donor, and the Foundation's Board has discretion as to the use of these funds within the overall purpose of the Foundation.

Grant Request Forms are available in the church office.  All Requests are reviewed and decided upon by the Foundation Board of Directors.  Since the Foundation's inception in 1986, over $1,000,000 in grants and scholarships have been distributed.

To request funds for a Foundation Grant (non-scholarship), please pick-up a grant application form in the church office or by clicking here.

 2018 Grants

In 2018 the following Grants were made from the Foundation:

  • Scholarships- Undergraduate (12 individuals) $ 18,000

  • Scholarship- Seminary (1 individual) $ 2,000
    Total Scholarships $20,000

  • FUMC Board of Trustees $ 5,983

  • Family Crisis Grant $ 4,500

  • FUMC Church Council $ 3,989

  • FUMC Preschool $ 3,927

  • Senior Ministries Volunteer Coordinator $ 3,000

  • Giffen House improvements $ 2,200

  • FUMC Good Shepherd Fund $ 1,367

  • Financial Seminar leadership materials $ 279

  • Ludhiana Christian Medical college $ 250

  • Office staff expenses for a financial course $ 250
    Total 2018 Grants & Scholarships $45,745