Education
We support education in the traditional sense through scholarships and other programs noted below, however we are deeply committed to education both traditional and nontraditional. As is evident from the programs we have supported in the past and the strategy behind each of our Initiatives, education is the common thread for the various avenues of impact the Orfalea Foundations aims to have.
Our focus in education has been to teach specific skills, as well as those geared toward the imparting of good judgment, critical analysis, and social and life skills. Our support includes programs for elementary, middle, high school, and college students that generally take place during the traditional school day.
Our s’Cool Food Initiative combines our investment towards creating a healthy future with education and aims to create a community of healthy children across Santa Barbara County who make educated food choices throughout their lives. For more information about s’Cool Food please click here.
Scholarships
FedEx Kinko’s (Ryan Orfalea Scholarships)
Contact Karen Loyd, Senior Benefits Analyst at karen.loyd@fedexkinkos.com
Tel: (800) 800-8899 ext. 7710
University of Southern California - Financial Aid Office
Contact Susan Ikerd, Associate Dean and Director of Financial Aid at ikerd@usc.edu
Tel: (213) 740-5445
www.marshall.usc.edu/web/Undergraduate.cfm?doc_id=3482
Montana Yellowstone Expeditions Foundation
MYE students are prioritized in each of our scholarships listed on this page. We encourage MYE alumni to apply to these other resources before seeking funding from MYEF directly.
Contact Andy Leider, Director at basecamp@myeconnect.org
Tel: (406) 551-2022
Orfalea College of Business, California Polytechnic State University
Contact Beth Brenner, Assistant Director for Advancement at bbrenner@calpoly.edu
Tel: (805) 756-2951
www.cob.calpoly.edu
San Luis Obispo County Community Foundation
Contact Janice Fong Wolf, Executive Director of Grants & Programs at jwolf@sloccf.org
Tel: (805) 543-2323 ext. 13
www.sloccf.org
Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara
Contact Director of Student Aid at info@sbscholarship.org
Tel: (805) 687-6065
www.sbscholarship.org
Ventura County Community Foundation
Contact Virginia Weber, Program Officer at vweber@vccf.org
Tel: (805) 988-0196 ext. 119
www.vccf.org/scholarships.html
Teacher's Fund
The Teacher's Fund benefits local public and private elementary, junior high, and high school teachers with classroom supplies throughout Santa Barbara County.
GrantSmart
GrantSmart benefits K-12 school teachers with classroom supplies in the Ventura Unified School District. Grants are for educational enrichment rather than funding of core programs.
For more information, click here.
The Orfalea Center for Global & International Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara
In May 2005, Kinko's founder Paul Orfalea and the Orfalea Family Foundation pledged critical seed money to establish a novel 2-year graduate program and center in global and international studies. The program, hosted by the Global and International Studies Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara focuses on the academic preparation of professionals to work in the global non-profit sector, international government, and multinational business.
Paul Orfalea is currently a distinguished visiting professor in the Global and International Studies Program at UCSB, where he teaches a popular course in global business.
For more information, click here.