Orange County, California

ARCS FOUNDATION, INC. HISTORY

ARCS Foundation, Inc., or Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Foundation, is a not-for-profit corporation founded in 1958 in Los Angeles.  It is a national volunteer women’s organization dedicated to helping outstanding United States graduate and undergraduate students by providing scholarship awards in natural sciences, medicine, engineering and information and computer science.

The launching of Sputnik in 1957 by the USSR and the lack of U. S. supremacy in the technology race inspired four Los Angeles women: Mrs. Thomas M. Malouf, Mrs. Franklin G. Stagel, Mrs. John C. Tyler and Mrs. Dean Woodbridge. 

Dr. Lee Dubridge, president of the California Institute of Technology at the time, helped them set up a program to fund scholarships in carefully-selected universities and colleges. One hundred percent (100%) of all scholarship funds go directly to scholarships and are tax-deductible.  Members of the ARCS Foundation underwrite all overhead expenses, as well as donate their time, knowledge, efforts and impressive financial support.

Since its inception, the ARCS Foundation has grown from a single chapter into a national organization with chapters in Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Lubbock, Metropolitan Washington, Northern California, Orange County, Phoenix, Portland, Pittsburgh, San Diego and Seattle.

ARCS Foundation’s chapters allocate their funds annually to accredited colleges and universities in their designated territories.  These scholarship programs are administered by the academic institutions.  Every ARCS Foundation’s reward is given “on top” of the usual financial stipend that would normally be provided to the scholar.  The ARCS Foundation’s scholarship award is in no way supposed to replace part of the graduate student fellowship package.  Any student receiving a scholarship award must be a United States citizen with an outstanding academic record and proven ability in a scientific field.  The scholars are selected by the recipient institutions without regard to race, creed or gender.

The ARCS Foundation provides a way for individuals, as well as corporate and civic organizations, to combine their resources and efforts to support United States scholars, thus helping to insure a better future for all. ARCS Foundation funding for basic scientific education is the largest of any private membership organization in the United States.