Friends of Los Alamos County Libraries Announce 2026 Scholarship Application Process

Friends of Los Alamos County Libraries (FLACL), working with the Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation (LAPS Foundation), is accepting 2026 scholarship applications for college- and university-bound graduating seniors, offering one $3,500 June and Harry Ettinger Memorial Scholarship and up to four additional $2,500 awards. The LAPS Foundation lists a general due date of February 27, 2026 for scholarships submitted through its Maia system, while the June and Harry Ettinger Memorial Scholarship must be submitted by email or mail to the FLACL committee and is due Monday, March 30, 2026.

The $3,500 Ettinger award is renewable for one year if a 3.0 GPA is retained, and the four other FLACL awards are $2,500 each. FLACL frames the awards as intended “to honor those who love books,” and the organization’s scholarship page describes the program as an annual partnership with the LAPS Foundation to award up to five scholarships to college-bound Los Alamos seniors.

Application instructions on the FLACL site ask applicants to “Simply write a 500-word (1–2 page) personal narrative that tells how a book you have read has added to your understanding of the human condition or has enhanced your life.” The site also says “The application is easy and fun,” and notes the program speaks to seniors at Los Alamos High School and county-approved homeschool programs.

Students applying through the LAPS Foundation can find scholarship descriptions in their Maia accounts in late fall and are encouraged to apply online; the foundation’s guidance states, “We encourage students to apply online. You may also mail or deliver your application if preferred.” LAPS Foundation staff advise that scholarship descriptions and the general submission deadline for the 2025-26 school year are on that platform, and the foundation’s office is at 1010 Central Avenue in Los Alamos; students seeking help with submissions can call (505) 500-6501.

FLACL’s scholarship funding and local history undergird the awards. FLACL was organized in 1978 and has provided more than 40 years of support to the Los Alamos County library system, with the majority of funding generated by the Friends Bookstore at Mesa Public Library through donations, sales, and volunteer work. FLACL contact information for scholarship questions is (505) 662-2188 and manager@FLACL.org.

FLACL and the LAPS Foundation point to past recipients as examples: in May 2023 FLACL presented $2,500 scholarships to four seniors — Abigail Beus (planning a journalism degree at Brigham Young University), Ray Guffee (mechanical engineering at Washington State University), Kaya Krantz (biology at Fort Lewis College), and Brooklynn Scott (media arts at Brigham Young University). The selection committee reflected on the 2023 essays, saying, “It was a rewarding experience to read the quality of the work that was presented to the committee. Every one of the applicants should be commended for the effort and creativity with which they presented their essays.”

The LAPS Foundation’s scholarship listings include multiple named awards such as the Community Service Scholarship, Career Technical Scholarship, Future Teachers Scholarship, Rawan Alsaraj Scholarship, Sophia Feldman Memorial Scholarship, Rojas Family Scholarship, Ross and Lola Ramsey Memorial Scholarship, Irene Boone Memorial Scholarship, Kristin Kosiewicz Substance Abuse Awareness Scholarship, Don Rokop Memorial Golf Scholarship, and the Los Alamos High School Class of 1970 Helping Hands Scholarship, with the foundation noting, “We have a few new scholarships still being finalized so check back for new information!” Applicants should note the distinction between Maia-submitted awards due February 27, 2026 and the June and Harry Ettinger Memorial Scholarship, which requires email or mail submission to FLACL by March 30, 2026.