SCHOOL FUNDING + SCHOLARSHIPS
“The dream of opening opportunities to student travel is magic. We must appreciate the impact it has on their lives and how it can reform education.”
Our mission is to advocate for and financially support immersive K-12 student educational travel, whether local, national, or international.
Overview: Scholarships are given to a set number of individuals and groups each year.
Eligibility*:
GROUP SCHOLARSHIPS (starting in Fall 2025): Any DPS middle school or high school* group. Travel (national or international) must be completed while the students are still in middle or high school.
INDIVIDUAL SCHOLARSHIP (starting in March 2025): Any individual DPS high school* student in good standing (2.5 cum or above GPA). Travel (national or international) must be completed while the student is in high school and ONLY for students traveling alone.
Role of the School: We believe in the care and leadership of schools and educators. Schools are responsible for all trip decisions, the itinerary, and applications. If awarded, group scholarship checks are given to the school for money management and distribution.
Application Assessment: This is a competitive process, and all applications are reviewed and scored based on The Levels of Intercultural Immersion (chart to the right). Questions will be focused on intercultural goals, student engagement, trip planning, learning outcomes, learning activities, immersion elements, and trip cost-effectiveness and management.
Definition of Intercultural: Relating to, involving, or occurring between two or more cultures. Intercultural education nurtures the following characteristics: being open-minded, being tolerant, having empathy, being able to change perspective, being linguistically proficient, having an optimistic attitude, and having good communication and leadership skills.
Important Notes:
The DCIS Foundation is not involved with any aspect of trip development; we focus solely on fundraising and travel advocacy.
Scholarship amounts vary by year and are dependent on the fundraising budget, the application assessment score, and the number of applications.
This is a competitive process. Not all individuals or groups that apply will be awarded a scholarship.
Group Travel Scholarships (Available Starting Fall 2025)
Group Travel Funding for Grades 6-12.
Process: Teachers actively collaborate with their students to decide on a location, develop group-specific curriculum goals, and work on the itinerary. Group scholarship winners will receive between $1,000 - 10,000/group. Schools and students can refer to our RESOURCES & INSIGHT page for ideas. This application window is open once a year in the fall. All applications are reviewed and scored based on The Levels of Intercultural Immersion (chart above). The application has two parts: PART 1: Lead teacher Application, and PART 2: Student application. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Travel Level: INTERMEDIATE. These students get experience planning and traveling while learning about cultures, languages, traditions, history, and people.
Fall 2025 Application Portal Opens: October 7 - October 28, 2025 (Group interviews for finalists in December; Awards given in January)
Fall 2026 Application Portal Opens: October 5 - October 26, 2026 (Group interviews for finalists in December; Awards given in January)
Individual Travel Scholarships for DPS High School Students.
Individual Travel Scholarships | $1000 ea.
The DCIS Foundation will offer a set number of Individual Scholarships for DPS high schoolers each year. Eligible DPS Schools: traditional, magnet/specialized, and innovation schools in DPS. Ineligible schools in DPS are charter or alternative schools. Eligibility is subject to change. Scholarship winners will receive $1000. This application window is open once a year in the early spring.
Process: Students work with their parents, teacher, counselor, or school travel director to evaluate travel vendors, costs, and options. Together, they create a travel plan, budget, and personal goals. Scholarship winners are selected based on the merit of their application. Students looking for vendor ideas can refer to our RESOURCES & INSIGHT page.
Travel Level: ADVANCED. These students take full responsibility for planning, fundraising, and travel logistics while gaining confidence, self-reliance, critical intercultural skills, and a well-rounded, thoughtful perspective. This application is not for groups, it is only for individual students doing educational travel via a vendor (e.g. CIEE, Adelesco, study abroad, etc.) and traveling alone.
Spring 2026 Application Portal Opens: March 2 - March 30, 2026, Interviews for finalists in early April; Awards given at Gala, Saturday, April 25, 2026
Application Preparation: The application button will be posted here and includes the following sections: 1) Instructions, 2) “About the DCIS Foundation” short video, 3) Student Information (you’ll attach a PDF of your transcript), 4) Trip Information, 5) Budget, 6) One-page student essay (see the prompt below; you’ll attach a PDF), 7) Letters of Recommendation (see purple button form below), and 8) Travel Agreement. Note: After submitting your application, you will receive an email notification and can make changes anytime before the deadline. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Essay questions prompt: What are your hopes and aspirations for this trip? How do you believe this experience will shape your future goals? FORMAT: one-page, typed, double-spaced, 12-point type, saved as a PDF and attached to your application.
This group of DCIS Fairmont students are enjoying the Denver Aquarium as part of their Elementary School Funding grant.
Elementary School Funding (DCIS Fairmont only)
At this time, DCIS Fairmont is the only school eligible to apply. They can apply for funding for local student excursions. These include visits to local museums, programs, nature parks/exhibits, themed overnights, and special events. All programs have an educational and intercultural aspect and tie to the curriculum or a class project.
Travel Level: BEGINNER. These young students get their feet wet being away from school and home, learning about new people and places, and gaining basic independence.
Spring 2025 Application Portal Opens: March 24 - April 21, 2025, Awards given in early June (CLOSED)
“This trip changed my life. I hadn’t been away from my family before but studied Italian for six years. I did a homestay, practiced my Italian, and actually lived in a place I had learned so much about in my classes. It was life-changing. I hope to study abroad in Italy while in college.”
DCIS FOUNDATION DBA Denver Center for Intercultural Scholars Foundation | PO BOX 9044 | DENVER CO 80209
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