GROSSMAN SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION

GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS

VOC offers scholarships* of amounts between $5,000-$10,000 to graduating high school seniors who have demonstrated a commitment to caring for our environment's natural resources** and intend to pursue post-secondary education through an accredited environmental, natural resource, climate, or outdoor industry-related program in Colorado.


Thanks to the generosity of former Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC) Board Member Rick Grossman and Susie Grossman for funding these scholarships.

Applications are open!

Applications must be submitted by March 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM MST.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

An eligible candidate:

 

  • Is a Colorado resident;
  • Has demonstrated a commitment to caring for our environment's natural resources** within their personal, educational, and/or professional time. Ideally, students can show that they have volunteered with outdoor stewardship/environment organizations, such as VOC or other Colorado stewardship organizations or land agencies;
  • Is pursuing a degree program with an environmental, natural resource, climate, or outdoor industry emphasis at an accredited 4-year college/university, 2-year community college, or a certificate program offered by an accredited*** college/university within the state of Colorado; and
  • Is enrolled at least half-time**** in upcoming programs; the candidate cannot be in the last semester of a program, as we do not provide funds retroactively.


We are committed to building an organization that celebrates diversity and embodies inclusivity. We encourage and desire applicants from all backgrounds, ethnicities, and walks of life to apply for this scholarship and help grow a more inclusive outdoor stewardship community that engages all people.


FAQs

  • *How do I apply the scholarship funds to my tuition?

    Scholarship funds will be sent directly to the awardee’s academic institution for tuition and fee costs. If the award is greater than that amount, the remaining balance may be held for the next semester or distributed directly to the student for other school-related uses such as room and board or textbooks if this is their final term.

  • **What are examples of caring for our environment's natural resources?

    A demonstrated commitment to caring for our environment's natural resources may be shown in many ways;

    • Volunteerism: Volunteering may include but is not limited to trail construction and maintenance, invasive species management, habitat restoration, gardening and planting, forestry management, flood and fire restoration, recreational improvement, historic preservation, citizen science, or river/trash clean-ups. Volunteer efforts may occur within an environmental/outdoor organization (e.g. VOC, Wildland Restoration Volunteers, Environmental Learning for Kids, Groundwork Denver, Latino Outdoors) or with a Land Agency (e.g. United States Forest Service, National Parks Service, Bureau of Land Management, State Parks, or with local city park agencies).
    • Professional Experience:  Applicants who are currently in employment positions within a natural resources field can reference professional experience to demonstrate a long-term commitment to environmental stewardship work.
    • Educational Experience:  Applicants may also reference personal experiences and school programs that demonstrate their continuous commitment to environmental, natural resource, climate, or outdoor industry work.
  • ***How do I check if the school I plan to attend accredited?

    Applicants can visit this link to check that their program is at an eligible, accredited institution: https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home

  • ****What is half-time?

    Half-time is generally defined as at least 6 credit hours per semester, but varies by institution. Check with your institution to confirm that the credits you are planning to take meet the minimum requirements for half-time status.

  • Are there any Post-Requisites if I receive scholarship funds??

    Yes, but not too many. Click here to read about post-requisites.

Questions? Contact scholarships@voc.org.

APPLICATION FOR GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS

Your responses will not save in the online application. We highly encourage drafting your responses in a Word Document and submitting your responses once complete. This application requires online submission.


All responses from this application are graded and must be written without the use of AI tools or platforms.


Download the Grossman Scholarship Application for Graduating High School Seniors

Grossman Scholarship Application for Graduating High School Seniors

(*) Indicates required

APPLICANT INFORMATION

HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION HISTORY

ADDITIONAL APPLICANT INFORMATION

  APPLICANT EXAMPLES OF COMMITMENT TO CARING FOR NATURAL RESOURCES

In 300 words or less for each example, we ask that you provide THREE examples of how your personal time, volunteerism, extracurricular activities, and/or professional work show a proven commitment to caring for our environment's natural resources and how this project or program has impacted you. Please scroll above to the FAQs to refer to the two asterisks (**) to see applicable examples provided by VOC.

ESSAY

We recommend that you type your responses in a Word document first, then copy & paste your responses into this web form.

LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION

Please either upload your letter of recommendation below or have your recommender send it to scholarships@voc.org. If your letter of recommendation is not received either through this online application or via email by the March 1st, 2026 deadline, then your application will be deemed incomplete and will not be reviewed. We encourage you choose a recommender that can speak to your commitment to caring for natural resources and provide specific examples.

CONFIRMATION

Current VOC employees, their partners, children, or relatives are not eligible to apply. Former VOC employees, as well as their partners, children, or relatives are eligible to apply after one full year of post-employment. VOC board members, their partners, children, or relatives are eligible to apply as long as that member does not sit on the scholarship grading committee.


A Letter of Recommendation may be written by a member of VOC staff.