Kent Community Foundation Now Accepting College Scholarship Applications for 2024-25 Academic Year

The Kent Community Foundation is now accepting college scholarship applications for the 2024-25 academic year. Applications can be submitted online on the Kent Community Foundation website. The deadline for applications is Mar. 22, 2024. The Foundation has been offering scholarships since 1988, growing their donor and scholarship base ever since.

Continuing the tradition, the Kent Community Foundation offers scholarships to greater Kent area high school seniors. After a spring application process, the Foundation’s Scholarship Committees select scholarships recipients based on specific criteria. Students receive the awards at a special May scholarship awards celebration, done in partnership with other local organizations including Rotary Club of Kent, Kent Sunrise Rotary, Kent Area PTSA Council, Valley Girls & Guys, and Kent Schools Foundation.

The Foundation now facilitates 14 scholarships, each with its own set of qualifications for eligibility and criteria for selection.

  • Audrey Rose Sells Scholarship
  • Diego Moreno Scholarship
  • Gail Gese Memorial Fund Scholarship
  • Gary Carpenter Scholarship
  • Jan Louise Quitoriano Memorial Scholarship
  • Jim McGinnis Scholarship for KM Grads
  • Johnson-Stoddard-Osness Family Scholarship
  • Kent Chamber of Commerce Scholarship
  • Mike Simmons Memorial Scholarship
  • Linda Ruby Scholarship
  • Pat Butler Scholarship
  • Rob Osborne Scholarship
  • Richard and Ina Balash Scholarship
  • Thunderbird Community Sports Foundation Scholarship


Applicants interested in applying for a scholarship through one of the Foundation’s community partners – Rotary Club of Kent, Kent Sunrise Rotary, Kent Area PTSA Council, Valley Girls & Guys and Kent Schools Foundation – can learn more about their scholarships here.


To apply for any of these scholarships, applicants can visit the online scholarship portal below. If it is their first time applying, they first need to create a free account. If they have applied before, they will need to log in to their existing account. Students will complete an eligibility quiz to show students which scholarships they qualify for. Deadline to apply is Mar. 22, 2024.


Please contact the Kent Community Foundation with questions or for more information.

Kent Community Foundation to Bring Back ‘Kent Has Talent’ This Spring, Bender to Emcee

The Kent Community Foundation is excited to announce that “Kent Has Talent” is coming back to Kent this spring! With a passion for the performing arts, Tonya Goodwillie of Allegro Performing Arts originally launched the local talent competition in 2011. The event had a successful two-year run. Leaders of the Kent Community Foundation assisted Goodwillie in 2016 and 2017, and the team is eager to bring it back to the community.

“We have so many talented performers in the Kent area, and we are excited to showcase them by bringing back Kent Has Talent,” said Lori Paxton, president of the Kent Community Foundation. “This fun event is also a fundraiser to support the foundation in providing other opportunities to celebrate the arts in Kent throughout the year.”

The talent competition will feature three age categories: youth (12 and under), teens (13 to 19) and adults (20+), and “talent” can be loosely interpreted to incorporate a wide range of talents (e.g., music, dance, magic, poetry, etc.) There will be cash prizes for the winner of each category and an overall prize, thanks to generous sponsors. Winners will also have the opportunity to perform at local events as representatives of “Kent Has Talent.”

Registration for “Kent Has Talent” will open on February 1, 2024 with preliminary qualification rounds being held on March 23 and 24 and the “Kent Has Talent” competition on May 23. Additional information about the event is available at KentCommunityFoundation.org.

“The time is right to bring this great event back to the community,” said Goodwillie. “It is a great opportunity for the foundation and other local businesses and organizations to support the performing arts.”

Bender to emcee Kent Has Talent 2024
Bender to emcee Kent Has Talent 2024

The Kent Has Talent team is excited to announce that Bender, a morning show staple in the Pacific Northwest for 23 years, has agreed to emcee Kent Has Talent again. He’s a multiple Best of Western Washington award winner and has manned the airwaves on 95.7 The Jet for the past four years… one-half of Seattle’s top-rated Jodi and Bender Morning Show. Bender spent the previous 18 years down the iHeartRadio hallway at sister station KISS-FM. Bender brings high energy and enthusiasm to the event, drawing the community together for this great event.

For more information about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Brenda Farwell at 206-786-1546 or brenda@kentcommunityfoundation.org.

About the Kent Community Foundation

Founded in 1986, the Kent Community Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization serving the greater Kent, Washington community. Until 2017, the organization’s mission was to support cultural arts and education. In 2017, the foundation expanded their mission to better serve the changing needs of the community, particularly during the pandemic through Kent Community Partners. To date, the foundation has awarded $530,635 in scholarships and $576,572 in grants. The organization continues to grow and thrive under volunteer leadership as the nonprofit looks toward what is next for the organization and the community.

About Kent Has Talent

Tonya Goodwillie of Allegro Performing Arts created “So You Think Has Talent,” the event’s original name, in 2011 and 2012. After a brief hiatus, the Kent Community Foundation got involved to assist Goodwillie, and the event returned to the community in 2016 and 2017 as Kent Has Talent. Several local arts patrons got involved during that time, including Michael Transier, a Kent-Meridian High School video production teacher, who organized Kent Idol to raise money to take his students to Los Angeles.