California Teachers Association Scholarships

These educational scholarships support CTA members, the dependent children of active members, and CTA Aspiring Educators (CTA-AE) members (formerly known as Student CTA) throughout the academic year, with funds to be used for education-related purposes.

• A complete application consists of the online application, two recommendation forms, and unofficial transcripts.
• For high school seniors, transcripts must include the first grading period of 12th grade.
• For Dependent Children and CTA Aspiring Educators applications, please email the unofficial transcripts to scholarships@cta.org.

Eligibility

1. Applicant must be claimed as a dependent status* on the member’s current year IRS forms. The applicant must be the dependent child of an active, CTA/NEA-Retired, or deceased CTA member. This scholarship is not available to spouses of CTA members.*Per IRS regulations.
2. Applications must be submitted online by the February deadline. A complete application consists of the online application, two recommendation forms and unofficial transcripts.
3. Applicant must be at least a graduating high school senior.
4. High school grade point average should reflect a high unweighted average. College coursework should reflect high academic achievement. Explain any unique circumstance related to medical, physical, or emotional difficulties that may have affected the applicant’s grades.

Evaluation of Applications

1. Scholarships are awarded based on:
   • Applicant’s Statement 50 pts
   • School Activities 10 pts 
   • Community Involvement 10 pts = 70%
   • Recommendation Form #1 15 pts

   • Recommendation Form #2 15 pts = 30%

     Total =100 pts

   • Points will be deducted if the guidelines are not followed.
2. Recommendation forms must address both statements below:
   • Involvement in human, social and/or civic issues that reflect responsibility, reliability and integrity.
   • Educational and personal achievements that reflect academic and/or vocational potential.
3. Applications are read in their entirety by the CTA Scholarship Committee. The applications with the highest cumulative scores will be recommended as scholarship recipients.

Scholarship Awards

1. CTA receives approximately 1,000 applications in this category annually. A maximum of 56 scholarships of up to $5,000 are awarded.
   • One scholarship is provided in Honor of Ralph J. Flynn and is awarded to the highest-scoring applicant.
   • One scholarship is provided in Honor of Ruthie Fagerstrom and is awarded to the second highest-scoring applicant.
   • One scholarship is provided in Honor of Susan B. Anthony and is awarded to the third highest-scoring applicant.
   • The Del A. Weber Scholarship, in the amount of up to $5,000, is awarded to one dependent child of an active member of CTA, CTA/NEA-Retired, or deceased CTA member who is attending a continuation high school or an alternative education program.
2. Scholarship applicants are notified by mail in June. To receive funds, scholarship recipients will be required to submit an official verification of enrollment for the summer or fall 2026 semester/quarter as:
   • A full-time student in an accredited institution of higher learning; or
   • Registered in an approved credential or degree program in an accredited institution of higher learning.
3. Scholarship funds must be used for education-related expenses only.

A Complete Application Includes:

• Applicant Information
• Applicant’s Statement (Please provide a word count)
• School/Community Activities
• Recommendation Form #1  Educator  No family members. Teacher, Counselor, Administrator, School Coach, College Professor. Please provide a word count.
• Recommendation Form #2  Educator or Community Member. A community member is someone who knows the applicant outside of the school setting. No family members. Please provide a word count.
• Unofficial Transcripts (must include applicant’s full name)  Send high school and/or college transcripts bearing the school seal. Transcripts from the most recent years of coursework will be used to compute the applicant’s GPA.
  • For high school applicants, your transcripts must include grades 9-11 and the first semester of your senior year.
  • For college applicants, you must provide your high school and college transcripts. Transcripts must be mailed or emailed. (No photos or snapshots)

Directions:

• Please follow directions on each page. Applications where directions are not followed are considered incomplete.
• The CTA Scholarship Committee must be able to evaluate and score both statements independently.
• Choose carefully the two people who will be completing the recommendation form. Select those who know you best and can address both statements. Judges are looking for situations/examples that demonstrate achievement in both statements.
• Unofficial transcripts must be mailed in separately.