Scholarships & Awards
Community Studies students may apply for a number of special scholarships and fellowships. Some CMMU-specific scholarships are designed specifically to help defray the costs associated with full-time field study, and there are numerous scholarship opportunities hosted by other campus departments and offices that may be of interest to CMMU students:
| Scholarship/Award/Prize Title | Scholarship Opens | Application Deadline: |
| 4/10/2024 | 5/7/2024 | |
| 4/10/2024 | 5/7/2024 | |
| 4/10/2024 | 5/7/2024 | |
| 4/10/2024 | 5/7/2024 | |
| 4/10/2024 | 5/7/2024 | |
| Open throughout academic year | Varies | |
| OPEN | 04/15/24 | |
| 6/15/2024 | 8/15/24 | |
| TBA | Spring |
Check out the UCSC Financial Aid Office's Scholarships website and these private scholarships for additional opportunities.
The Nancy Pascal Field Study Scholarship
Awarded annually to students who participate in field study programs. The scholarship is intended to encourage and support 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 the Registrar's Office.
Guidelines, deadlines, and the application form are published every Winter Quarter; applications are due every Spring Quarter. For this year’s application due date, check the Program Calendar.
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 will be awarded in 2023.
Guidelines, deadlines, and the application form are published every Winter Quarter; applications are due every Spring Quarter. For this year’s application due date, check the Program Calendar.
The Elizabeth Butler Scholarship was created to memorialize the life of Community Studies alumna Elizabeth (Beth) Butler (’96). 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 as well as 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.
Guidelines, deadlines, and the application form are published every Winter Quarter; applications are due every Spring Quarter. For this year’s application due date, check the Program Calendar.
The Cynthia Mathews Scholarship
This scholarship is awarded to students in any UC Santa Cruz department or program who are 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.
Guidelines, deadlines, and the application form are published every Winter Quarter; applications are due every Spring Quarter. For this year’s application due date, check the Program Calendar.
Community Studies 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 prior to each conference.
William Friedland Award
Awarded annually since 2001 to the student who best exemplifies the social and academic commitment embodied in the department Professor Friedland founded in 1969. Nominees are identified and selected by program faculty and the award is announced at the Community Studies graduation ceremony.
The Joel Frankel Memorial Scholarship
Awards grants to UCSC students who are planning to pursue field studies in Latin America or within Spanish speaking communities in the United States. The purpose of the fund is to learn from and assist in social change initiatives originating in Latin America and/or Latino communities.
Contact the Department of Latin American and Latino Studies for more information.
The Gabriel Zimmerman Memorial Scholarship
The Gabriel Zimmerman Memorial Scholarship provides financial support to a UCSC undergraduate student in the social sciences who is committed to public service.
The Deans' and Chancellor's Undergraduate Awards
These awards recognize outstanding achievements by undergraduate students within an academic division (Arts, Engineering, Humanities, Physical & Biological Sciences, Social Sciences). Ten Deans' Awards are given to students within each division. Of those students, up to three in each division can be selected to receive a Chancellor's Award. Historically, Community Studies students have been extremely well-represented among the recipients of these honors.
An award honoring the finest senior thesis completed during the academic year. The Steck Award winner is chosen from the Chancellor's Award candidates. In 2004, Max Krochmal received the Steck Award for his thesis "Sculpting Transnational Unionism - Building a Democratic Labor Movement in Ecuador's Banana Fields".
