Scholarship Programs

The foundation offers about $30,000 in boarding school, high school, and college scholarships.

INTERNADO

Four young women in 2025 go to a boarding school, the Colegio Dominicanas de la Anunciata in Chichicastenango, a Mayan cultural center, and live in an adjoining dormitory called the "Internado." These students are selected and supervised by the Dominican Sisters who operate the school. The cost is about $1000 per student.

Instituto

We have 52 scholarship recipients in junior high and high school in 2025. They attend school in several small communities in Quiche or in the departmental capital.   These students are selected and supervised either by a small non-governmental organization called Asociacion Unidos por la Vida which with the Derr Foundation has worked for many years or by the Catholic Pastor in Chinique, Quiche Guatemala who Derr Foundation leadership has known for 30 years and by Maria Mendoza, a lawyer who obtained her education with the help of the Derr Foundation, working with the Pastor. Mendoza conducts monthly workshops with the students and monitors their progress. Scholarships range from $270 to $400 per year.

Universidad

Thirteen of our scholarship recipients are studying in the local universities and are selected by Asociacion Unidos por la Vida or the Catholic Pastor in Chinique, Quiche, Guatemala and Maria Mendoza, a lawyer who obtained her education with the help of the Derr Foundation working with the Pastor. Mendoza conducts monthly workshops with the students and monitors their progress. Our scholarship helps defray the many ancillary expenses associated with university attendance and totals $500 per year.

The Foundation also partners with a small US non-profit working in Chajul, Quiche, Guatemala called Limitless Horizons Ixil to provide 6 University scholarships in 2025 to young people working in their programs. The cost per scholarship is $800.