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The online application for the Van R. Johnson Sutter Scholars Program will open in February. If you would like to view other scholarship opportunities, please continue to the Scholarship America Hub and sign up!

If you have questions about this scholarship program, please call 800-537-4180 (reference the Van R Johnson Sutter Scholars Program) or email sutterscholars@scholarshipamerica.org.

Van R. Johnson Sutter Scholars Program
Application status: Closed

Established by Sutter Health in 2002, the Sutter Scholars Program is named in honor of former Sutter Health CEO Van R. Johnson and supports the continuing education of children and grandchildren of Sutter Health and affiliate employees. Sponsored by the Sacramento Region Community Foundation on behalf of Sutter Health, the program helps prepare students to become compassionate, responsible citizen leaders of tomorrow while also showing appreciation for the employees of Sutter Health by providing a competitive scholarship for their children and grandchildren. Scholarships are awarded annually and vary based on need and competitive review.

This program is administered by Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarship and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations and individuals. Awards are granted without regard to any federal or state protected class or category.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants:

  • Applicants must be children or grandchildren of Sutter Health or affiliate employees who have completed their introductory period with Sutter Health or its affiliates as of the application deadline date. Employment status will be verified through the official payroll system.
  • “Child,” for the purposes of this program and application, means an employee’s child, stepchild, legal ward or the child of an employee’s registered domestic partner.
  • Student applicants may not be employed by the Sutter Health network at the time of application. Also, student recipients may not be employed by the Sutter Health network at the time the awards are disbursed.
  • Children or grandchildren of employees on an approved leave of absence are eligible to apply.
  • There is no age limit for applicants.
  • If the Sutter Health employee retires, is laid off, terminated or voluntarily leaves the organization during the application cycle (February 1 through March 31), the applicant will remain eligible for the current award.
  • For students who have previously received an award: If the Sutter Health employee retires, is laid off, terminated or voluntarily leaves the organization during or after the term of an awarded scholarship, the applicant may reapply for further awards.

Applicants must be:

  • Maintaining a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent).
  • High school seniors, high school graduates or undergraduates who plan to enroll or are already enrolled in a full-time undergraduate course of study at an accredited United States two-year or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school.

OR

  • Graduate students who have earned a bachelor’s degree and who plan to enroll or are already enrolled full-time in an eligible healthcare-related degree at an accredited United States graduate school. Eligible graduate level degrees may include concentrations in the following healthcare-related subject matter areas, but will not necessarily be limited to:
    • Acupuncture
    • Chiropractic studies
    • Complementary and/or integrative medicine programs
    • Dentistry
    • Health sciences
    • Homeopathy
    • Medical school
    • Nursing
    • Occupational therapy
    • Optometry
    • Pharmacy
    • Physical therapy
    • Psychiatry or psychology
    • Public health
    • Social work (if applicant can provide evidence of a health-related career path)
    • Speech therapy

Non-Eligible Applicants:

  • Children or grandchildren of independent contractors, temporary staff or volunteers are not eligible.
  • Unless a physician is employed by Sutter Health or one of its affiliates, the children or grandchildren are not eligible.
  • Applicants who are themselves Sutter Health or affiliate employees are not eligible even if they are the child or grandchild of another Sutter Health or affiliate employee. Please call Sutter Health’s Employee Service Line (855-398-1631 or 916-297-8300) to determine if your Sutter affiliate has a tuition reimbursement policy.
  • Students enrolled in post-graduate teaching credential program are not eligible.

Obligations

Recipients have no obligation to the Sacramento Region Community Foundation or Sutter Health. They are, however, required to notify Scholarship America of any changes in address, school enrollment or other relevant information and to send a complete transcript when requested.

Revisions

Sacramento Region Community Foundation reserves the right to review the conditions and procedures of this scholarship program and to make changes at any time, including termination of the program.

Have a question? View these Frequently Asked Questions.

The program will consider the following factors to determine each applicant’s merit: past academic performance, leadership and participation in school and community activities, work experience, statement of career and educational aspirations and goals and any unusual personal or family circumstances. For four-year college students and graduate students, an essay is required and will be part of the evaluation.

Financial need will be considered. Recipients must demonstrate financial need.

Recipients are selected by Scholarship America. All information received is considered confidential. In no instance does any officer or employee of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation or Sutter Health play a part in the selection. Decisions of the selection committee are final and are not subject to appeal. The selection process will not be influenced or affected by any federal or state protected class or category of any applicant.

Scholarship categories for the upcoming academic year:

  • Scholarship Program I: awards up to $3,000 for the academic year: Available to students attending four-year schools in any major. Graduate students in healthcare-related fields may also apply for this program. Applicants must submit an essay with their application.
  • Scholarship Program II: awards up to $1,000 for the academic year: Available to students attending two-year colleges, community colleges and vocational schools. No essay is required with the application.

Awards are to be used for tuition, fees and books. Awards are for undergraduate and graduate study.

Awards are not renewable; however, students may reapply to the program each year they meet eligibility requirements. Recipients may only receive the award for a maximum of four years.

Applicants will be notified by the end of July of their award status. This program is highly competitive and not all students applying for a scholarship will receive an award. All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.

Payment of Scholarships

Scholarship America processes Van R. Johnson Sutter Scholarship payments on behalf of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation. Payment is made in one installment in August. The student and their family are responsible for ensuring the scholarship check is directed to the correct department within the educational institution. Recipients must notify Scholarship America of any changes in address, school enrollment or other relevant information.

Have a question? Visit these Frequently Asked Questions.

As part of your application, you must upload the following documents:

  • A current, complete transcript of grades. Grade reports are not accepted. Transcripts must display student name, school name, grades and credit hours for each course and term in which each course was taken.
  • Copy of the first two pages of the most recently filed IRS Form 1040 (1040 or 1040A) used for the Financial Information Section of the application.

NOTE: If you are providing SAT or ACT test scores, and those scores are not listed on your high school transcript, you will need to upload a copy of your test score report(s) separately. If you are uploading a college transcript, those scores are not required.

Your application is not complete unless all required documents are submitted electronically with the application through the Scholarship America Student Hub.

Have a question? Visit these Frequently Asked Questions.

The Sacramento Region Community Foundation has partnered with Scholarship America to manage this scholarship. Select the button below to be redirected to the Scholarship America Student Hub.