A national nonprofit dedicated to helping communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters.

The Kalla Foundation

The Kalla Foundation Resilience Scholarship

We support high school seniors who are dedicated to building more resilient communities. Selected recipients receive a scholarship of up to $750 from the Kalla Foundation to help jump-start their education and careers in fields that directly contribute to disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.

Janurary 1

Applications Open

Important Dates

March 31

Applications Close

April 1 - 14

Committee Review Proccess

April 16

Recipient Announcement Ceremony

Application Requirments

To be considered eligible for the full amount of the scholarship, applicants must:

Reside within a county where we currently offer our programs.

1

Have already enrolled in, or plan to enroll in, an accredited post-secondary institution and demonstrate a commitment to pursuing a degree that enhances community resilience, disaster preparedness, response, recovery, or related social systems (for example, emergency management, disaster science, public health, epidemiology, nursing, environmental science, engineering, urban planning, architecture, public policy, data science, communications, or economics).

2

Agree to complete the learning requirement.

3

Required Materials:

Applicants must submit one essay (maximum 500 words) responding to ONE of the following prompts:

1. Describe a moment, experience, or challenge that shaped your interest in public service, professional development, or community impact. How did this experience influence your goals, and how will this scholarship help you continue that growth?

2. Leadership is not always tied to a title. Describe a time you took initiative or demonstrated leadership in an academic, community, or personal setting. What did you learn from the experience, and how has it shaped your approach to responsibility and growth?

3. What does meaningful impact look like to you? Discuss how your values guide the way you approach education, service, or career planning, and how this scholarship would support your ability to make a positive contribution in the future.

4. Describe how you believe individuals and organizations can help communities better prepare for and respond to disasters or other crises, and explain how this scholarship and its associated learning experience would help you contribute to that mission in the future.

Applicants must submit a video introduction (maximum 5 minutes) addressing ALL of the following:

Introduce yourself: Share your name, academic background, and interests.

Showcase your goals: Briefly discuss your academic or career goals and what motivates you to pursue them.

Your connection to our mission: Explain why the mission of the Kalla Foundation matters to you.

Your anticipated growth: Describe what you hope to gain from this scholarship and its associated learning experience.

Important notes for applicants:

Please upload your video to an online platform for our review. You may post it on YouTube and leave it unlisted.

This video is not professionally judged; clarity and authenticity matter more than production quality.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have lingering questions? Read some of our frequently asked questions. When you’re ready, you can begin the application process below.

  • The application is open from January 1st to March 31st. The button at the bottom of this page will take you to the form.

  • The learning requirement offers students an opportunity to gain real experience in research and communications early on in their degree program. We will help guide each student—providing valuable insight on their writing and help improve their research and communication skills. We will approach each project on a student-by-student basis, tailoring assignments so every student gets absolutely the most out of their experience.

    For those who are considering applying for this scholarship, don't let this requirement scare you, as this is not merely more school. Rather, consider this an internship-like opportunity that will help you advance your career before you even walk into your first college classroom.

    The Kalla Foundation was established while the Kalla brothers were still in school. They understood what students needed the most, which is why this scholarship was designed with such precision. No other scholarship offers an opportunity like this.

    Upon completion, an additional $250 will be sent by check directly to the student, and their work will be published with full credit given to them.

  • Yes, we do require a school transcript, which may be either official or unofficial.

  • The Kalla Foundation Steering Committee will review applications from April 1st through April 14th. The selected recipient will receive an email notification by April 15th. If the recipient does not respond by April 20th, the scholarship will be awarded to the next best application.

  • The Kalla Foundation Steering Committee will review all applications to determine the recipient. Applications are evaluated using a rubric, which you may view by clicking here.

  • Unfortunately, whem compared to many scholarship awards from private corporations and other organizations, our $750 scholarship reward amount is much lower. That’s because we’re still a new nonprofit organization and rely entirely on donations to fund programs like this.

    That said, $750 is still a meaningful amount for a student. It could go toward a three-credit-hour class*, textbooks, or other education-related costs and fees.

    When paired with our unique learning requirement, we hope the award is worthwhile, and we also plan to increase the amount as our funding grows.

    *Please note the total cost of a three-credit-hour class varies by institution, program, and whether the student is in-state or out-of-state.

Scholarship Application

Before applying, please take the time to review the rubric by clicking here. If you have any additional questions, email us at info@kallafdn.org.

Apply Here