What we do

Here’s what we do:  we help graduates of Routt county and Moffat county high schools, as well as residents of the Yampa Valley who have resided here for at least 5 years, who need financial assistance to pay for college.  

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Yampa Tuition Grants (YTG) was founded in 2022  with the belief that all locals should have the opportunity to continue their education beyond high school, regardless of financial circumstances.  That is our mission.  It is a well-established fact that college graduates and those with advanced technical training earn much higher incomes and have better employment opportunities during their careers.  YTG grant recipients will become not just important contributors to our community as adults, but possibly even future donors to YTG and other local organizations, and “pay back” their grants – In this way, donors to the Fund are investing in our own community.

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YTG is a simple program with a single purpose. We raise money from donors, and we direct it to students in need of financial assistance.  All donations support the scholarship program directly. The Yampa Tuition Grants Fund is held at the Yampa Valley Community Foundation so all donations to the fund are charitable and directly support the scholarship program.

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We award non-recourse grants (meaning they are grants, not loans, and do not need to be repaid) every May for the following school year to graduates of Routt and Moffatt counties who are attending 2- or 4-year undergraduate colleges, universities or vocational/trade schools.  Residents of the Yampa Valley who have resided here for at least 5 years are also eligible to apply for a scholarship. The only requirement is that the applicant has graduated from high school and has demonstrated to us that they have genuine financial need.  Any graduate, including current high school seniors, can apply in any year they attend an undergraduate level school – we do not discriminate in any way, shape, or form.  All decisions on whether a student receives a grant, and the amount of that grant are based purely on objective financial information. The YTG Scholarship Committee is approved by the Yampa Valley Community Foundation Board of Trustees.

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We utilize the student’s Expected Family Contribution and the student’s net cost of tuition, room & board in the year ahead to award grants based on the size of the demonstrated “gap” between these two figures:

• The determination of a student’s ability to pay for college is based on output from the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), a common form used and accepted widely in the higher-education community.

• The determination of a student’s net cost is based on school invoices, statements or acceptance letters, and information provided by students that lists all their known scholarships, grants, and other financial aid they are receiving from their schools and other third parties.

• The difference between the two figures above is the “gap” we aim to help close.

All our grants are paid directly to schools. 

Our funding comes 100% from donors.  Please join us in join us in supporting this cause!

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Financial Need

YTG uses the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) metric and a variety of other measurements to calculate a prospective recipient’s need-based qualification. 

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YTG Key Facts

• The YTG application process is heavily weighted on family income and economic eligibility to ensure that grants go to graduates in the greatest financial need

• School specific tuition, other expected grants, scholarships and loan amounts are all factors in the grant evaluation process

• Individual donations are critical to our ability to support students in need

• Unlike many aid programs, YTG is not for freshman year only. YTG recipients are invited to re-apply for further grants as long as they are enrolled in an accredited undergraduate institution