Overview

Purpose

The Festival of Arts Scholarship Program, administered by the Glenn E. Vedder Scholarship Committee, was established to provide financial encouragement for students planning to continue their interest and study of various disciplines in the arts.

Scholarships are awarded in: Film, Performing Arts (Dance, Music, and Theater Arts, including Performance and Production), Visual Arts and Writing.  All graduating high school seniors residing in Laguna Beach, or attending Laguna Beach High School, are eligible for any or all of the categories but are only awarded a maximum of one scholarship.

Scholarships will be awarded to Laguna Beach High School graduating seniors at the June Convocation. All other scholarship recipients will be notified by mail.

Eligibility

  • First-Year Scholarships: available to all high school seniors residing in Laguna Beach or attending Laguna Beach High School in the year of their graduation.

  • Renewal Scholarships: available annually to previous recipients for a total of four years of undergraduate college education during the five-year period following graduation from high school. An application must be submitted each year to be eligible for a renewal award.

Donations

Join us in nurturing a new generation of Laguna Beach artists by donating to the Festival of Arts scholarship program.
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History

In 1957, the Festival of Arts Scholarship Program was established to provide financial assistance for Laguna Beach High School students preparing for careers in various disciplines in the arts. Sally Dunn Reed, a senior graduating from Laguna Beach High, was awarded the very first scholarship of $1,000.

In 1989, the Festival of Arts with a $1.5 million endowment established the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts Foundation, a California nonprofit public benefit corporation, for the purpose of charitable giving in perpetuity in the form of art scholarships and/or grants in and about Laguna Beach, California. The Foundation operates independently from the Festival of Arts.

In 2007, the Festival of Arts assumed the financial responsibility of the art scholarships, enabling The Foundation to focus on its grant program for local non-profit art organizations. To date, the Festival of Arts along with the Foundation cumulatively has awarded over $3.5 million in college scholarships. Disciplines for which scholarships are awarded are Film, Performing Arts (Dance, Music, and Theater Arts, including Performance and Production), Visual Arts, and Writing.

The Scholarship Committee

The Glenn E. Vedder Scholarship Committee, chaired by Festival of Arts Board Secretary Pat Kollenda, administers the program.

  • Committee: Pat Kollenda (Chair), Wayne Baglin, John Connolly, Jacquie Moffett, and Jeff Rovner.

  • Scholarship Coordinator: Michelle Reindl

Application & Payment Information

Student Testimonials

Below are some excerpts from the letters that were sent to the Scholarship Committee from current or former scholarship recipients.

“I would like to express my deepest thanks for your generosity. Your scholarship means such a great deal to me, and I am honored to have been recognized for my love of music. Thanks to supporters of the arts like you, I feel encouraged to continue my passion and to share it with others.”

Frances Naude

“I hope one day that through my continuation of dance, I will somehow be able to give back to students and help them achieve their dreams, just as you and the Committee have so helped me.”

Lily Rogers

“Ever since I was very little, I wanted to be a performer and receiving this scholarship from you instills confidence in me that I can reach my goals and achieve my dreams.”

Noah Plomgren

“It means so much to me that someone else believes in my artistic abilities enough to award me money to help jumpstart my career. It really gives me confidence to think that others believe in me this much.”

Ginny Davis

“The valuable tools that I have gained through my theater studies have both encouraged my love for humanity and helped me to understand the ways in which positive human interaction can bring change. I will forever be grateful for the scholarships that you have given me.”

Nathan Green

“I owe you all thanks for your generosity and support. Whatever direction I take with my music, my education at Columbia has opened my eyes to possibilities and complexities in music that I never knew before, and I have become obsessed with exploring these at deeper levels.”

Coleman Moore

“The Glenn E. Veddar Scholarship Committee’s financial support has been enormously helpful to me, and I am grateful for their continuing contribution to the artist alumni of Laguna Beach High School.”

Jeremy Graves

“Thank you all, so sincerely for being a part of my life and helping me create all the art I have been dreaming of making.”

Molly Bower

“I am forever grateful for the help I received from the FOA, and am excited and blessed to be able to follow my passion.”

Clair Howell

“I am blessed to live alongside an organization like the Festival of Arts so committed to cultivating a love of art in our youth. Your scholarship will help me better myself as a student and artist at Columbia University next fall.”

Anya Gourley