LANL Foundation awards 163 scholarships, nearly $1.2 million statewide

More than $1.2 million in scholarship aid is heading to 163 students across Northern New Mexico, a funding round that does more than trim tuition bills. In Los Alamos County, where the local economy is shaped by Los Alamos National Laboratory, the awards reinforce a pipeline meant to connect students, colleges and Lab-centered careers.

The LANL Foundation announced the 2026 LANL Scholars on April 13, saying the program continues to move money from donors, including Laboratory employees, into college aid for local students. The scholarships are tied to the Los Alamos Employees’ Scholarship Fund Advisory Committee and are built around more than a check: mentoring, internships, career networking and support for the move from home to campus are all part of the program’s structure. The foundation says that support is intended to help scholars finish school and transition into rewarding careers, then return later as mentors, advisors and donors themselves.

The four-year scholarship application that opened in October 2025 was available to students from Rio Arriba, Sandoval, San Miguel, Santa Fe, Mora, Los Alamos and Taos counties, along with members of Northern New Mexico tribes, nations and pueblos. The foundation says applicants could seek up to $20,000. It also says the scholarships are open to students pursuing degrees in any field of study, widening the reach beyond the technical fields often associated with the Laboratory.

For Los Alamos readers, the numbers show how the program has grown from a modest aid effort into a major regional investment. Since 1999, the foundation says it has awarded nearly 2,900 scholarships totaling close to $15 million. The pace has picked up in recent years: 128 students received 132 scholarships worth more than $884,000 in 2024, more than 130 students received 147 scholarships totaling a record $1.03 million in 2025, and this year’s awards climbed again to 163 students and nearly $1.2 million.

That growth matters in a county where higher education is often viewed through two lenses at once: as a family expense and as a workforce strategy. The scholarships ease the immediate pressure of tuition and housing, but their larger test is whether they help keep Northern New Mexico talent circulating back into the region’s schools, labs and professional ranks rather than simply offsetting the cost of leaving.