Scholarships & Grants

Avah Scholarships & Grants

Foundation Information

The mission of the AVAH Foundation is twofold: To inspire HOPE and provide assistance to children struggling with mental illness; and to improve patient care at mental healthcare facilities. Avah committed suicide December 6, 2023 at a mental healthcare facility in Sacramento. Avah was a junior at River City High School in West Sacramento CA. Avah’s Dad, Isaac, started the AVAH Foundation (“A Vision At Hope”) to honor his daughter and to inspire actionable, positive change around children’s mental illness issues by supporting children through their peers and other support networks.

Thank you Sutter Health for the generous donation that made these grants possible.

Eligible Applicants:

2025 scholarships restricted to River City High West Sacramento, Vista High Folsom, and Christian Brothers High School. 2026 eligible high schools will be announced in December 2026.
Sophomores & Juniors shall apply.
Students with a passion for helping others and a creative approach to assisting peers in need.
Winners will implement program with their peers their senior year.

Publicizing Scholarship Contest:

What You'll Need

Develop a plan outlining a program you would implement at your high school to help identify and support your peers who may be struggling with mental health challenges, including any peer who is a loner, outcast, new to the school, has low self-esteem, is not part of any group, or may be dealing with depression, anxiety, image issues, or other challenges. Provide specific details on how your program would identify and support these students through peer activities, companionship, counseling or other means.

Plans can be delivered via written document, power point and/or video presentations.

The plans should include a short biography of the applicant including background and personal interests.

Apply Now

Application

Winners will be chosen by the non-profit board of directors of the Avah Foundation using a range of criteria including the likelihood of success in reaching and supporting the most students in need at your school, creativity, compassion, and achievable plan to engage other students in the school as peer supporters. The school must approve the program before it can be implemented.

Scholarships will be rewarded to students at the end of their senior year. Students will be expected to work with their peers to implement the program at their school their senior year.

All winners (runner-up and honorable mention) must assist the student who wins in implementing the winning program

Winner: $10,000

Runner-up: $5,000

Honorable Mention: Five awards of $1000 each

Thank you Sutter Health for the generous donation that made these grants possible.

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