Our Programs
The UTB Chamber Education Foundation (UTBCEF) exists to serve the students and educators of the Upper Tampa Bay region. The programs we support touch the families and students in grades K through 12 in nearly 30 schools across the region, in both Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties.
High School Scholarships
The permanent endowment of the UTBCEF helps fund scholarships for deserving college-bound seniors who lack the means to fully fund a college education. What began over a decade ago as one $500 scholarship awarded annually to an East Lake High School graduate, has grown to include annual awards in excess of $2,000 each to outstanding high school student leaders from Alonso, East Lake, Leto and Sickles high schools.
Key Components: Leadership & Need
There’s no shortage of scholarship programs that reward the highest of academic and athletic excellence. But what about the solid, committed students who work hard and demonstrate leadership in the school, the community and at home; the ones who, if athletes at all, are unlikely to receive scholarships to play at the collegiate level; the ones who have grade point averages between 3.0 and 3.7? How much scholarship money do they receive?
We target students who have been identified by their teachers, administrators or counselors as being leaders “leaders in the school, in the community and at home” as well as demonstrating consistent, solid academic performance while struggling to fully fund a college education. We believe that these students, as much as their highest-achieving peers, are poised to be our communitys leaders of tomorrow, and therefore deserving of our support.
(For information on being considered for a UTBCEF scholarship, or if you would like to fund a scholarship, please contact the Foundation at 813.300.0019.)
Elementary & Middle School Support
The UTBCEF also funds programs that recognize both the students and professional educators who strive for excellence in our region’s elementary and middle schools. Whether through the long-standing Student of the Month program or a variety of teacher appreciation and classroom partnering efforts, the UTBCEF stands tall in support of outstanding elementary and middle school students and the people who help build the foundation for these future community leaders.
