Scholarships and Awards
Guidelines, deadlines, and the application forms for all Community Studies Program awards are published every winter quarter. Applications are due every spring quarter.
The application deadline for all Community Study scholarships is April XX, 2026, by 11:59 PM. Scholarship recipients will be announced by May 19XX, 2026.
Apply for our scholarship and award programs
The Nancy Pascal Field Study Scholarship
This annual award to students who participate in field study programs supports real-world experiences that complement formal academic requirements. Nancy Pascal established the scholarship in honor of her retirement after 32 years of dedicated service to UC Santa Cruz in the Registrar’s Office.
Andrea Steiner Prize for Excellence in Health Equity
When long-time UCSC lecturer Andrea Steiner retired in 2021, community studies friends and family established a prize in her name to celebrate students who continue her legacy of excellence in health equity education and achievement. Fundraising to build the endowment is ongoing. The first prize was awarded in 2023.
The Elizabeth Butler Scholarship
The Elizabeth Butler Scholarship was created to memorialize the life of 1996 community studies alumna Elizabeth “Beth” Butler. It was awarded for the first time in spring 2016 and is open to community studies majors pursuing their full-time field study in Santa Cruz.
The Community Studies Field Study Scholarship
This scholarship is generously funded by the Koffend family and community studies alumni, family, and friends who contributed to our Giving Day campaigns in support of field study. It provides scholarships to support community studies students going on field study.
The Cynthia Mathews Scholarship
This scholarship is awarded to students in any UCSC department or program pursuing studies or internships related to reproductive rights, health policy, healthcare professions, or public health. It was established in 2007 through the generous donations of friends, family, and colleagues of Cynthia Mathews to honor her 40 years of outstanding service in the area of reproductive health.
Facing Race Conference
The Community Studies Program sponsors a small number of declared majors to attend the National Facing Race Conference. The bi-annual conference is sponsored by Race Forward, the remarkable social justice organization and publisher of Colorlines. Opportunities will be announced to students before each conference. (Need application/more info).
William Friedland Award
This annual award has been given since 2001 to the student who best exemplifies the social and academic commitment of community studies, as originally envisioned by Professor Friedland when he first founded a Community Studies Department in 1969. Nominees are identified and selected by program faculty, and the award is announced at the community studies graduation ceremony.