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Apply for a Scholarship

Applications accepted between January 1 and March 31 annually

Review the eligibility requirements below before applying, to take a step closer towards reaching your goals.

Eligibility Requirements

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1. Employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs, who work for VISN 22 or are employees of the VA Healthcare Network in the Las Vegas, NV area.

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2. Employees of the Veterans Canteen Service and all other federal employees assigned to duty at the Department of Veterans Affairs, VISN 22 or the VA Healthcare Network in the Las Vegas, NV area, on a full-time basis or on a regularly scheduled part-time basis.

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3. Employees of Veterans Service Organizations and of the American Red Cross assigned full-time duty at the Department of Veterans Affairs, VISN 22 or the VA Healthcare Network in the Las Vegas, NV area.

 

4. Regularly scheduled volunteers, who serve at the Department of Veterans Affairs, VISN 22 or the VA Healthcare Network in the Las Vegas, NV area.

 

5. Medical trainees (formerly employees) of affiliated educational institutions who work or train at the Department of Veterans Affairs, VISN 22 or the VA Healthcare Network in the Las Vegas, NV area.

 

6. Spouses of persons who died while within the field of membership of this credit union; employees of this credit union; persons retired as pensioners or annuitants from the above employment.

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7. Family members of persons described above.

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8. Members of the Desert Pacific Foundation.

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9. Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited college, university, or trade school as of the award disbursement date (July of the current year). Students who earn their degrees during the scholarship application season and do not plan to continue advanced studies in the fall are not eligible. Scholarship funds may not be used to pay past-due fees or expenses from previous semesters or terms.

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Not Eligible:

Desert Pacific Foundation Board of Directors and their families, as well as members of the Credit Union Board of Directors.

Tips for success in submitting your application:

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  1. Have the names and email addresses for your parent/guardian (if applicant is under age 18) and for your teacher and personal reference ready before you begin.
     

  2. Obtain your letters of recommendation first. We require two letters with your application. Letters must be signed and dated no earlier than 6 months prior to the date of your application. These letters could come from any of these sources: teacher (high school), professor (college/grad school), someone you work or worked for, volunteered under or been mentored by.
     

  3. Prepare the answers to the Educational Goal, Career Goal, “Anything Else” and “why you think you should be awarded this scholarship” questions in advance so they will be easy to place on the application.
     

  4. Prepare and save your essay in advance so it will be easy to place on the application.
     

  5. Submit your application between January 1 and March 31 of this year or between January 1 and March 31 of next year if the current date is between April 1 and December 31.
     

  6. Letter requirements: Letters must be addressed to Desert Pacific Foundation. Letters from relatives, friends, or individuals outside of the approved categories will not be accepted. Letters that are missing a date or signature, are not addressed to Desert Pacific Foundation, or are submitted by an ineligible source may result in the application being downgraded during scoring or deemed incomplete and therefore ineligible for an award.

What happens if I win an award? 

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  1. Scholarships will be disbursed directly to the college/university. Scholarships may be used for tuition, books, and other expenses. It will not be disbursed to students directly. 
     

  2. We require the following information to disburse the scholarship funds:

    • Student ID

    • An account or Bursar’s statement of the current term

    • A contact person (name, email and phone number), mailing address for payment and designation for scholarship (books, housing, tuition, etc.)

    • Any questions regarding payment remittance may be sent to dpfoundation@vadpfcu.org. The contact phone number is 562-286-6051.
       

  3. Scholarships must be disbursed by 12/31 of the award year. If we do not receive all required information by the deadline, the funds will be forfeited, and the student will need to reapply once enrollment opens the following year.

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Updated 5/19/26.

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