Our goal is to support our residents as they seek higher education, vocational skills and a better quality of life!
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
- Must be a resident at a property managed by the John Stewart Company. Employees of JSCo living on property are not eligible to apply.
- Must be 17 years of age or older
- Must be pursuing higher education or vocational skills at an accredited college, community college, university, trade / professional school, or institute and scheduled to begin school in the Fall of 2025.
- Must be a resident in good standing
- Total household income may not exceed 80% of the area median
- Prior recipients of awards from this (or any other JSCo Opportunities Program) are not eligible to re-apply
APPLICATION:
All applicants are required to submit:
- Application form
- Two reference letters
- 6-8 minute video
DEADLINE:
The application deadline is to 11:59PM PT on Wednesday, May 28, 2025.
Questions? Contact Lettie Marquez at lmarquez@jsco.net
In 1999, Dr. Daniel Koshland Jr., the son of our foundation’s founding chairman, established the Koshland Young Leader Awards (KYLA). The awards program recognizes young leaders who balance extraordinary challenges yet continue to show academic promise and community leadership. To date, the program has awarded nearly $1 million to more than 170 young leaders to give them a jump start as they enter college.
Candidates embrace a commitment to strengthening their families and communities despite facing formidable life challenges. Eleven outstanding San Francisco Unified School District juniors will receive $14,000 each to fund their tuition and/or education-related expenses.
Application Requirements
Competitive candidates must:
- be a junior in a San Francisco Unified School District High School
- have demonstrated academic excellence (at least a 3.4 GPA) and be college/junior college – bound.
- have demonstrated significant leadership in their community, school, work, and/or home including active participation in school clubs, sports, volunteer work, paid work, religious community, college prep programming, family responsibilities, etc.
- have overcome significant hardship (e.g., unstable housing, non-native English speaker, economic insecurity, health or mental health issues, immigrant story, family situation, etc.)
- have a recommendation from a teacher, counselor, school administrator, or college prep program staff who can speak to their qualifications. The recommendation should not be from a relative.
Tax ID or Social Security Number (SSN) is not required to apply, however, if selected, the student will need to provide either a Tax ID or SSN. If you do not have a Tax ID, visit The Unity Council website to help you obtain one.
Application Timeline
February 10, 2025: Applications are open.
April 10, 2025: Applications are due.
Late May 2025: San Francisco Foundation notifies all 2025 Koshland Young Leader Award winners.
For questions about the awards program, please contact Mayra Roman at scholarships[at]sff.org.