Scholarships – Palama Settlement

Palama Settlement offers scholarships to help local students achieve their educational goals. Thanks to generous annual gifts from private foundations and individual donors, our scholarship program has awarded more than $270,000 in assistance since 1998, helping over 200 youth further their education. In 2018, Palama Settlement awarded scholarships to 28 students from ninth grade to graduate school.

In 2019 Palama Settlement began a partnership with the Association of American University Women Honolulu Branch to offer additional undergraduate scholarship opportunities to deserving students. AAUW recognizes that while women in the 21st century are attending college and receiving undergraduate and graduate degrees in record numbers, they are still held back by the gender pay gap. They may encounter it when they work to pay for college, or they may encounter it when they graduate and settle in their first jobs. AAUW’s research found that while women now make up a majority of the college population, they also take out more debt than men. The academic scholarship provided by AAUW Honolulu helps women in college graduate with less or no debt. To learn more about AAUW, visit their website at www.honolulu-hi.aauw.net.

Application Information

All applications are due Friday, February 21, 2020 by 5:00 PM HST.

Click here to download the application instructions and a list of documents required to complete your application.

Click here to download the Palama Settlement application form.
This application may be used to apply for the Blackfield, Cochrane, Katayama, and Rath scholarships.

Click here to download the AAUW application form.
This application may be used to apply for the AAUW scholarship.

How to submit your application

You may submit both Palama Settlement and AAUW applications one of three ways:

By email:
Send to Leah Lee at llee@palamasettlement.org
By mail:
Palama Settlement
c/o Scholarship Committee
810 N. Vineyard Boulevard
Honolulu, HI 96817
In person:
Deliver to 810 N. Vineyard Boulevard, Honolulu, HI 96817.
Please leave your application with our receptionist in the Rath Building (main building with white pillars).

Association of American University Women (AAUW) Honolulu Academic Scholarship

In 2019, AAUW began a partnership with Palama Settlement to promote and administer its undergraduate scholarship program. Applications for AAUW’s Academic Scholarship are accepted through Palama Settlement’s Educational Scholarship Program and award recipients are chosen by an AAUW panel. Applicants must fulfill the following requirements:

Student Eligibility:

– Be a female student
– Be enrolled as a sophomore, junior, or senior in a college, community college, or university located in the State of Hawaii
– Demonstrate financial need
– Have a grade point average (GPA) 3.0 or above

To learn more about the AAUW Honolulu’s Academic Scholarship, visit their website at www.honolulu-hi.aauw.net/aauw-honolulu-academic-scholarship/.

Blackfield & Friends Education Scholarship

Selection and determination of this award is based on a student’s financial need, high scholastic achievement, and affiliation with and participation in Palama Settlement’s programs. The scholarship application is open to students of private high schools within the State of Hawaii and/or students enrolled in college/university/vocational training either within the State of Hawaii or on the mainland. Both full-time and part-time student applications accepted. Funding for the scholarship is acquired through individual and private foundation donations.

Qualification Criteria
All applicants must fulfill the following requirements:
 Resident of the state of Hawaii.
 Enrolled in the ninth grade or higher.
 Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 currently and for the previous two years. For trade and other schools without GPA grading, a passing grade is required.
 Must have been a participant in a Palama Settlement program or must come from the Kalihi-Palama area.
 Must have participated in a community service event within the last 12 months.

Dr. Daniel H. Katayama and Ms. Jane H. Sato Scholarship

Selection and determination of this award is based on a student’s financial need, high scholastic achievement and participation in community service. The scholarship is open to full- and part-time students who have either applied to or are currently attending a degree-granting program or study, or are registered in an associate or baccalaureate program of study at a public or private college or university in Hawaii. The public or private college or university must be accredited by either the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) or the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) in the State of Hawaii. Preference is given to those applicants who are attending the University of Hawai’i with an interest in sciences. Funding for the scholarship is acquired through a private donation.

Qualification Criteria
All applicants must fulfill the following requirements:
 Resident of the state of Hawaii.
 Enrolled full- or part-time in a degree-granting program or an associate or baccalaureate program at a public or private college or university in Hawaii.
 Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 currently and for the previous two years
 Must have participated in a community service event within the last 12 months.

Hannah Cochrane College Scholarship

Selection and determination of this award is based on a student’s financial need, high scholastic achievement, and participation in community service. The scholarship application is open to full- and part-time students who have either applied to or are currently attending a degree-granting program or study, or are registered in an associate or baccalaureate program of study at a public or private college or university in Hawai’i. The public or private college or university must be accredited by either the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) or the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) in the State of Hawai’i. Funding for this scholarship is acquired through a private foundation donation.

Qualification Criteria
All applicants must fulfill the following requirements:
 Resident of the state of Hawaii.
 Enrolled full- or part-time in a degree-granting program or an associate or baccalaureate program at a public or private college or university in Hawaii.
 Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 currently and for the previous two years. For trade and other schools without GPA grading, a passing grade is required.
 Must have participated in a community service event within the last 12 months.

Rath Family Scholarship

Selection and determination of this award is based on a student’s financial need and high scholastic achievement. The scholarship application is open to students enrolled in a public or private undergraduate or graduate program in an accredited public or private college in Hawaii or on the mainland. Funding for the scholarship is acquired through private donations. Preference is given to students from the Kalihi-Palama area.

Qualification Criteria
All applicants must fulfill the following requirements:
 Resident of the state of Hawaii.
 Enrolled part-time or full-time in a public or private undergraduate or graduate program in an accredited public or private college in Hawaii or on the mainland.
 Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.

For more information

Leah Lee
Donor Relations & Marketing Coordinator
p. (808) 848-2532 | e. llee@palamasettlement.org