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.
Donate Today

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 Member Mitch Ridder, administers the program.

  • Committee: Mitch Ridder (Chair), Wayne Baglin, John Connolly, Ed Hanke, Anita Mangels, and Karlylle Schwartze.

  • Scholarship Coordinator: Bridget Wallace

Application & Payment Information

Who May Apply:

  1. Available to all graduating high school seniors residing in Laguna Beach or attending Laguna Beach High School in the year of their graduation.
  2. Scholarships are awarded in the following areas: Film, Performing Arts (Dance, Music, Theater Arts), Visual Arts and Writing. Applicants may apply for any or all categories, and are encourage to do so, but will only be awarded a maximum of one scholarship.
  3. Renewable 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.

How to Apply:

Application due on or before Friday, February 13, 2026 by 4:00pm
Click below to start your application which includes the following requirements:

  1. Online Application.
  2. Agreement (signed by Student and Parent/Guardian).
  3. Unofficial transcript, printed by the Registrar (Not Aries) with a minimum 2.5 GPA (9-12 non-weighted). LBHS students see Samantha Washer in the LBHS CCC or Ellen Oxales, LBHS Registrar.
  4. Formal letter to the Scholarship Committee containing:
    1. Summary of past work in your chosen field and plans for the coming year.
    2. Extracurricular activities.
    3. Current professional goals.
    4. Any other information you would like the committee to consider.
  5. General resume.
  6. Photo of you.
  7. Optional letter of recommendation.
  8. Work samples (see application instructions below).
  9. In person Audition/Interview at the Festival of Arts (scheduled later).

If you are awarded a Festival of Arts Scholarship:

Click on the payments tab to submit your payment request
Due on or before October 1, 2026

  1. First payment upon submission of proof of full-time enrollment for the upcoming fall term to include:
    1. Copy of your full-time class schedule at an accredited 4-year University or Community College for the fall term.
    2. Schedule must include your name or college ID #.
    3. Name of your College or University must appear on your schedule. Check with your school’s registrar office if you need assistance.

How to Maintain Scholarship Renewal Eligibility:

  1. Maintain full-time enrollment at an accredited undergraduate school each year.
  2. Maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA the first academic year and 3.0 GPA each academic year after.
  3. Take two classes in the area of scholarship awarded, completed every academic year:
    1. Classes must be taken at an accredited 4-year University, Community College or accredited online class anytime during the academic year, including summer.

Forfeited Scholarship:

  1. If first-year scholarship recipients do not submit proof of full-time enrollment by the October 1st deadline for the upcoming fall term, their entire four-year scholarship is forfeited.
  2. After five years following graduation from high school, all eligibility of scholarships ceases and no further scholarships will be awarded or paid retroactively.
  3. Exceptions taken on a case-by-case basis by appeal.

Scholarship Appeal Process:

Click on the appeal tab to submit appeal

  1. Student notified by mail and email that they did not qualify for their scholarship, giving them 15 days from the date of the letter to submit an appeal. If no appeal is submitted, their entire four-year scholarship is forfeited.
  2. Submit online appeal form.
  3. Submit letter to the Committee explaining extenuating circumstances.
  4. Scholarship Committee will review and respond to your appeal within 30 days.

Application Instructions

Download and read the application instructions prior to filling out the online application form.

Download Instructions

Scholarship Application

Please complete the Scholarship Application Form online. For additional information or assistance, please contact Bridget Wallace at scholarships@foapom.com.

Apply Now

Who May Apply:

  1. Available annually to previous scholarship 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.

How to Apply to Renew Your Scholarship for the 2026-2027 Academic Year:

Application due on or before October 1, 2026
Click below to start to your application which includes the following requirements:

  1. Online Renewal application.
  2. Agreement.
  3. Official transcripts.
  4. A formal dated letter to the Scholarship Committee containing:
    1. Summary of past work in your chosen field and plans for the coming year.
    2. Extracurricular activities over the past year.
    3. Current professional goals.
    4. Any other information you would like the committee to consider.
  5. Proof of full-time enrollment for the upcoming fall term to include:
    1. Copy of your full-time class schedule at an accredited 4-year University or Community College for the fall term.
    2. Schedule must include your name or college ID #.
    3. Name of your College or University must appear on your schedule. Check with your school’s registrar office if you need assistance.

Scholarship Renewal Payment:

  1. Payment sent in early October after verifying:
    1. Minimum GPA of 3.0 (2.5 for first years) for the previous academic year.
    2. Full-time enrollment at an accredited 4-year University or Community College for the previous academic year.
    3. Two classes in the area of scholarship completed in the previous academic year.
    4. Proof of full-time enrollment at an accredited 4-year University or Community College for the upcoming fall term.

How to Maintain Scholarship Renewal Eligibility:

  1. Maintain full-time enrollment at an accredited undergraduate school each year.
  2. Maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA the first academic year and 3.0 GPA each academic year after.
  3. Take two classes in the area of scholarship awarded, completed every academic year:
    1. Classes must be taken at an accredited 4-year University, Community College or accredited online class anytime during the academic year, including summer.

Forfeited Scholarship:

  1. If at any time a renewal candidate does not meet the renewal criteria, the entire remainder of their scholarship is forfeited.
  2. After five years following graduation from high school, all eligibility of scholarships ceases and no further scholarships will be awarded or paid retroactively.
  3. Exceptions taken on a case-by-case basis by appeal.

Scholarship Appeal Process:

Click Appeal Tab to submit appeal

  1. Student notified by mail and email that they did not qualify for their scholarship, giving them 15 days from the date of the letter to submit an appeal. If no appeal is submitted, the entire remainder of their scholarship is forfeited.
  2. Submit online appeal form.
  3. Submit letter to the Committee explaining extenuating circumstances.
  4. Scholarship Committee will review and respond to your appeal within 30 days.

Renewal Application

Please complete the Scholarship Application Form online. For additional information or assistance, please contact Michelle Reindl at scholarships@foapom.com.

Submit Application

Click below to submit your payment request, which includes the following requirements:
Due on or before October 1, 2026

  1. Copy of your full-time class schedule at an accredited 4-year University or Community College for the fall term:
    1. Schedule must include your name or college ID #.
    2. Name of your College or University must appear on your schedule. Check with your school’s registrar office if you need assistance.

Payments sent in early October.

Submit Payment Request

Payment sent in early October after reviewing renewal application to verify the following payment requirements met:

  1. Minimum GPA of 3.0 (2.5 for first years) for the previous academic year.
  2. Full-time enrollment at an accredited 4-year University or Community College for the previous academic year.
  3. Two classes in the area of scholarship completed in the previous academic year.
  4. Full-time enrollment at an accredited 4-year University or Community College for the upcoming fall term.

Within 15 days of the date of the letter notifying you of your forfeited scholarship, click below to submit the following:

  1. Appeal Form.
  2. Letter to the Scholarship Committee explaining your extenuating circumstances.

Scholarship Committee will review and respond to your appeal within 30 days.

Appeal decisions by the committee are final and not subject to further review.

Appeal Form

You will need a password to access this form. The password can be found on your forfeited scholarship notice letter.

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