Fascination with the idea of a U.S. space program turned to alarm when a Soviet-launched satellite orbited Earth in 1957. In Los Angeles, a small but ambitious and energetic group of women asked what they could do to elevate the nation's scientific leadership and re-establish technological superiority.
On September 5, 1958, ARCS Foundation, Inc. was incorporated as a non-profit organization in California; 13 days later, its formation was announced at the CalTech campus in Pasadena along with its purpose: to "…raise money for scholarships and fellowships (now known as Scholar Awards)…for the support of both undergraduate and graduate students,"
1958 — Los Angeles Founder Chapter (a merger of founders and a 1965 junior auxiliary.)
1963 — Houston Chapter, dissolved in 1995.
1968 — Washington, D.C. (now Metropolitan Washington Chapter to cover suburban members and universities in Virginia and Maryland.)
1970 — Northern California Chapter, formed by community leaders.
1972 — Lubbock Chapter, since dissolved.
1973 — New York Chapter, dissolved in 1995.
1974 — Honolulu Chapter, inspiring horticulturalist Haruyuki Kamemoto's to breed the ARCS Anthurium.
1975 — Phoenix Chapter, by 18 forward thinkers.
1976 — Denver, later named Colorado Chapter.
1977 — Chicago (now Illinois Chapter), its first award from a $10,000 Dreyfus Fund donation.
1978 — Seattle Chapter; its charter delivered via a Hughes Aircraft corporate jet.
1980 — Dallas Chapter, later dissolved.
1985 — San Diego Chapter, awarding $85,000 in its first three years.
1990 — Boston Chapter, deactivated in 1995.
1992 — Atlanta Chapter, with 40 charter members pledging $500/year.
1999 — Orange County Chapter in Southern Caliornia.
2003 — Pittsburgh Chapter, with 61 charter members.
2004 — Portland, expanding into the Oregon Chapter.
2009 — Utah Chapter, with 30 active members in two months.
2009 — Minnesota Chapter, with 50 charter members.
2010 — Tampa Bay Chapter, later dissolved.