The Henry Mayo Newhall Foundation – directed by the heirs of town founder Henry Newhall – is upping its grant to the Hart School District for college scholarships to $149,000 this year. That’s a 24-percent increase over the $120,000 donation it made to the Class of 2013.

In a letter to the school district from foundation President David S. Newhall in San Francisco, the goal with the additional money is to “increase the number of graduates in the Class of 2014 who receive scholarship support to attend college.”

This year, seven students from each comprehensive high school will receive scholarships, up from six last year; and five students enrolled in alternative high schools will receive $1,000 each.

Every year, the six comprehensive high schools (Hart, Canyon, Saugus, Valencia, Golden Valley, West Ranch) nominate candidates to be interviewed by the SCV Scholarship Foundation.

The awards to each school’s winners are to distributed as follows: one at $5,000, two at $4,000, two at $3,000 and two at $2,500 (total $144,000).

The five alternative high schools, where one student will be selected from each (total $5,000), are Academy of the Canyons, Bowman High School, Hart at Home, Learning Post and Sequoia Charter School.

The school board is scheduled to accept the donation from the Newhall Foundation when it meets Wednesday, and recipients’ names are to be presented by the SCV Scholarship Foundation to the school board for approval in June.

About the Henry Mayo Newhall Foundation

Henry Mayo Newhall

The Henry Mayo Newhall Foundation is a nonprofit organization which supports charitable, cultural and agricultural programs in specific areas of California.

The San Francisco-based Foundation was created in 1963 by fourth-generation descendants of California entrepreneur and pioneer Henry Mayo Newhall.  The Foundation’s endowment is the result of contributions from members of the Newhall family.

The Foundation’s purpose is to fund projects that exemplify the life and goals of Henry Mayo Newhall, as summarized in its mission statement: “To improve the quality of life within the geographical areas associated with the career and legacy of California pioneer Henry Mayo Newhall.”

Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded grants to more than 100 organizations in communities where Mr. Newhall originally established his businesses, or where those enterprises are active today.  The Foundation has focused its grant-giving on projects in the San Francisco area (where Mr. Newhall founded his first business ventures), the Valencia/Santa Clarita area in northern Los Angeles County (location of the Newhall Ranch), and the Santa Maria area on the Central California coast (the site of his first large rancho).

The Foundation Board meets on a regular basis to review and approve grant requests.