Bank of Estes Park funds three new scholarships for local seniors

Every spring, Estes Park sends a class of seniors out into the world, and every spring the town finds ways to help them get there. This year there are three new ways. The Bank of Estes Park is funding three scholarships for students graduating in spring 2027, and the idea started the way good local ideas usually do, with a conversation.

Scott Applegate, president and CEO of the Bank of Estes Park, learned there were no scholarships specifically for students interested in pursuing business degrees. He took the idea to the Estes Park Education Foundation, and together with David Curnutt, president of the foundation's board of directors, they built a program around it. The bank will fund at least three scholarships every year.

The first is the business scholarship: up to $1,000 a year for up to four years for a local student pursuing a business degree at an accredited college or university. Applicants will write an essay on the power of local businesses and banking in a small community, including their economic influence and their contributions to community organizations. As a locally owned business, I can tell you that essay topic is not abstract. It is the story of this town.

The second is the community service scholarship: a one-time award of up to $1,000 for a student planning to attend an accredited college or university, in any major, with a strong record of volunteer work and service. Applicants will explain what motivates their involvement and why giving back matters to them.

The third is the perseverance scholarship: a one-time award of up to $1,000 for a student who experienced severe bullying or other significant hardships but stayed in school in Estes Park and kept working toward graduation. Applicants will share their experiences, the obstacles they faced, and what they learned. That one hits home. Finishing school when everything is pushing you to quit takes a kind of grit this valley knows well.

Applicants must have attended at least three years of high school in Estes Park and demonstrate a commitment to their hometown, and the essays for all three awards will focus on local experiences and community involvement. A relationship with the bank is encouraged but not required. Students or their parents or guardians who bank there satisfy the relationship requirement, but other meaningful connections, like internships, employment, or community partnerships involving the bank, can also qualify. Students without a qualifying relationship remain eligible for half the amount, and the committee may split funding between two deserving applicants. "We left it a little open to interpretation, as we really do want to reward the best applicants and help them launch into college," Applegate said.

The Bank of Estes Park provides all the funding, but a committee formed by the Estes Park Education Foundation will select recipients independently. Complete eligibility requirements and application instructions are available through Estes Park High School's online scholarship application platform. The application period for the 2026-27 scholarship cycle opened October 14 and closes February 23.

For some scale on what this community already does: the foundation's process awarded more than $280,000 in scholarships last year, with local organizations funding approximately 50 scholarships. These three new awards add to a town that already invests heavily in its own kids. If you know a senior at Estes Park High School, make sure they know these exist.

Read the original reporting at Estes Valley Voice.