CPLC, NAU Triple Scholarship Program to 45 Awards for Arizona Students

A scholarship program once reserved for a single Yuma campus tripled in size, and eligible students have just six days to apply for one of 45 awards worth up to $10,000 each.

Chicanos Por La Causa, the statewide Arizona nonprofit known as CPLC, and Northern Arizona University announced the expansion on April 9. What had been a 15-scholarship pool exclusive to NAU-Yuma students now reaches every NAU campus in the state, with students in Yuma and La Paz counties explicitly named among those eligible.

NAU matched CPLC's funding commitment to enable the tripling. Antonio Moya, CPLC's scholarship program director, said the growth came from watching the original program's impact in Yuma firsthand.

"When we had the 15, it was only for the campus in Yuma," Moya said. "Together, CPLC and NAU saw the positive impact in the community and knew that we could continue making that difference with a larger reach. Not only did it go to 45 students but it's now open to all campuses."

To qualify, applicants must be Arizona residents, income-eligible, and pursuing college as first-generation students; all academic majors are welcome. For Yuma County families, where a higher-than-average share of households meet income-eligibility thresholds, an award of up to $10,000 can meaningfully offset tuition costs and reduce the financial pressure that leads many first-generation students to delay or forgo a degree entirely. Stronger credentials translate into better-paying positions across the healthcare, education, skilled trades, and public-sector jobs that anchor the county's economy.

Applications are processed through NAU's Scholarship Universe portal, with a hard deadline of April 15, 2026. Students enrolled at institutions other than NAU can find separate scholarship opportunities through CPLC's scholarship page. The expansion triples the number of Yuma-area students the program can reach in a single award cycle.