BASIC Scholarships
Our Record
BASIC has awarded a scholarship every single year since 1998. This is where the program came from, what it has done, and who pays for it.
The past
How BASIC’s Scholarship Program Began
It began at the airport. A group formed to improve the Borrego Springs airport found itself turning its attention to the community’s students, and two years later it changed its name to say so.
1993
Borrego Springs Airport Improvement Association
Known as BSAIC.
1995
Basic Assistance to Students In the Community
The same organization, renamed BASIC for what it had become.
1998
The First Scholarships
Three awards, totaling $8,570.
Basic Assistance to Students In the Community
The evidence
How Have We Done?
Twenty-seven school years, every award and every dollar. Three awards in the first year; forty-five in the most recent one.
| School Year | Awards | Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| 1998–1999 | 3 | $8,570 |
| 1999–2000 | 11 | $12,100 |
| 2000–2001 | 12 | $20,200 |
| 2001–2002 | 11 | $9,400 |
| 2002–2003 | 11 | $14,350 |
| 2003–2004 | 8 | $11,500 |
| 2004–2005 | 8 | $10,000 |
| 2005–2006 | 2 | $8,000 |
| 2006–2007 | 3 | $8,000 |
| 2007–2008 | 8 | $19,500 |
| 2008–2009 | 13 | $19,000 |
| 2009–2010 | 12 | $13,250 |
| 2010–2011 | 27 | $20,000 |
| 2011–2012 | 21 | $16,840 |
| 2012–2013 | 23 | $15,800 |
| 2013–2014 | 17 | $19,900 |
| 2014–2015 | 27 | $27,600 |
| 2015–2016 | 30 | $38,900 |
| 2016–2017 | 24 | $29,400 |
| 2017–2018 | 27 | $31,500 |
| 2018–2019 | 39 | $60,550 |
| 2019–2020 | 31 | $55,500 |
| 2020–2021 | 42 | $72,825 |
| 2021–2022 | 33 | $75,600 |
| 2022–2023 | 31 | $50,250 |
| 2023–2024 | 34 | $65,450 |
| 2024–2025 | 45 | $86,900 |
| Total | 553 | $820,885 |
The present
The 2024–25 Scholarship Program
Forty-five scholars, in four groups. Fourteen had just graduated from Borrego Springs High School; the other thirty-one were already on their way and stayed with the program.
- 14 — New graduates of the BSHS class of 2024. Seven at two-year colleges or vocational programs, seven at four-year schools
- 9 — Continuing at two-year colleges and vocational programs
- 16 — Continuing at four-year colleges and universities
- 6 — Continuing in post-graduate programs
Where the Scholarships Are Being Used
Most scholars study in California — CSU campuses such as CSU San Marcos, UC campuses including Berkeley, UCLA, UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara, and San Francisco State. Palomar College has taken over from College of the Desert as the two-year school our scholars most often attend, and several are in certificate programs rather than degrees.
Others have gone a good deal further: Montana, Ohio, Texas, and a medical school in Mexico.
The future
Where Does the Money Come From?
You. There is no endowment behind these awards and no outside funder. Every dollar is raised in Borrego Springs, every year.
The Future Is in Your Hands
BASIC expects to pass $1,000,000 awarded in 2026 — a milestone built entirely out of this community’s giving, one school year at a time.