Riley I Whitelaw Memorial Fund

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Colorado Springs, CO
Riley I Whitelaw Memorial Fund

Honoring the vibrant, creative, & deeply kind spirit of Riley by supporting initiatives that encourage compassion, emotional wellness, & artistic expression.

We strive to carry her light—uplifting young people to lead with empathy, courage & creativity.

06/11/2026

Today, we honor Riley by lighting a candle in heartbreak, love and great reverence for her. Grief is love.

06/02/2026

It's been a big year of growth for us and we are so honored to celebrate ALL of our Scholarship and Grant Recipients!

As a quick recap, we offered a variety of scholarships and grant programs as follows:

- Inaugural Colorado Springs City-wide Scholarship ($15,000 total offered to four students)
- Inaugural Colorado Springs City-wide Creative Grants ($3,500 total offered to seven students)
- Inaugural Colorado Springs City-wide Career and Technical Scholarship ($3,000 offered to one student)
- Inaugural Colorado Springs City-wide Teacher Grants ($2,000 total offered to four teachers)
- Fourth Annual Scholarships ($12,000 total offered to four students - part of this total includes money graciously raised by at the Riley I Whitelaw Music Festival)
- Two grants of $1,000 each offered to Air Academy Winterguard (.backstage ) and to contribute to their trip to World Championships in Dayton, OH.
- One $2,500 Grant to for to assist bereaved parents attend one of their wonderful grief retreats.

It is inspirational to be able to play a small role in helping lift others up academically, creatively, professionally and lovingly in these ways.

Thank you to those who have continued to donate to our nonprofit and seeing our shared mission of kindness matters!

Special thank you to our Board of Advisors and Scholarship and Grant Committee who have been an integral part to being able to carry out our mission.

We will post more about our recipients soon. Until then scroll our lists to celebrate them!

Be on the lookout for our 2026-27 City-wide Creative (mid-August) and Teacher (mid-July) grant applications to open. These will only be open for a short period!

05/06/2026

We are just getting started in a season of awarding scholarship and grant recipients. There’s no better way to kick it off than by giving a total of $12,000 to four standout 2026 seniors at Riley’s alma mater at ! We will share more about these standout students soon but we’re busy finalizing our other selections for our city-wide scholarships and grants! Stay tuned!

Congrats, Kadets!

04/14/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1C9zEmcmAG/?mibextid=wwXIfr

03/27/2026

ONE WEEK left to apply for one of these amazing scholarships and grant opportunities for students in Colorado Springs AND one special opportunity for seniors at Riley's alma mater, !

Head to our website www.rileywhitelaw.org for full details and to apply!

Air Academy High School College Scholarships🎓
• $7,000+ in total scholarships for graduating seniors at Air Academy High School.
• Recognizes students who exemplify kindness, creativity, and a passion for community engagement.

COS Career & Technical Education Scholarship🎓
• One $3,000 scholarship for a student pursuing a CTE degree or certificate post high school graduation.
• Open to: graduating high school seniors in Colorado Springs (School Districts 2, 3, 8, 11, 12, 20 & 49).

COS Student Creative Grants (6th to 12th grade)🎨
• Six grants of $500ea are available to students grades 6 to 12 city-wide (District 2, 3, 8, 11, 12, 20 & 49).
• Supports creative pursuits such as professional art classes, music lessons, or supplies.
• Students may apply or be nominated by a teacher.

Share to friends, family and your kids if you think they may have an interest!

ALL applications close on APRIL 3rd!

03/11/2026

Who doesn't love a sloth? Sloths are cute but slow! Don't be a sloth and miss the application deadline for one of our FINAL 2026 scholarship and grant opportunities! ALL applications close on April 3.

Spring break is coming and while being a sloth may be appealing, completing our application may be a checkmark you want to complete!

These opportunities are designed to honor Riley Whitelaw’s legacy by promoting kindness, creativity, and community engagement among students across Colorado Springs schools!

Air Academy High School College Scholarships🎓
• $7,000+ scholarship for graduating seniors at Air Academy High School.
• Recognizes students who exemplify kindness, creativity, and a passion for community engagement.

COS Career & Technical Education Scholarship🎓
• One $3,000 scholarship for a student pursuing a CTE degree or certificate post high school graduation.
• Open to: graduating high school seniors in Colorado Springs (School Districts 2, 3, 8, 11, 12, 20 & 49).

COS Student Creative Grants (6th to 12th grade)🎨
• Six grants of $500ea are available to students grades 6 to 12 city-wide (District 2, 3, 8, 11, 12, 20 & 49).
• Supports creative pursuits such as professional art classes, music lessons, or supplies.
• Students may apply or be nominated by a teacher.

PLEASE share with friends, students, and family if you think they may have an interest!

Head to www.rileywhitelaw.org for more information and to apply! There's a drop-down menu at the top for all the applications!

03/07/2026

Do you want to hone your creativity? Are you a Colorado Springs student in 6th to 12th Grade?

Riley's Colorado Springs Student Creative Grant is available for students interested in expanding and/or exploring their own creativity

Riley was known for her love of music, painting and performing in colorguard and winterguard. She supported others in their artistic endeavors and was even a tech for several theater productions. Rather than being found on her device to decompress from stressful days, Riley would often play her guitar, create paintings or small sculptures. To learn more about Riley and our nonprofit, go to www.rileywhitelaw.org.

🎨Six grants of up to $500 each are available.
🎭Supports creative pursuits such as professional arts classes, music lessons, or supplies.
🎤Don't let this opportunity go! Apply before April 3 by using the Google Form at www.rileywhitelaw.org
🎸Students may apply or be nominated by a teacher (currently being offered to those enrolled in school districts 2, 3, 8, 11, 12, 20 and 49).

**IMPORTANT: should you receive a grant, the grant shall be used on an artistic endeavor of up to $500.00. We will provide direct payment to the company where your activity takes place (i.e, art lessons at the Bemis Art School, singing or guitar lessons OR a school art program fee paid to your school/class) or for direct payment of supplies needed to hone in your artistic abilities (i.e., paint supplies, tuners, guitar strings, etc.). If recipient is looking for reimbursement, receipts must be provided. We will provide further instructions to recipients upon notification of award.

03/04/2026

Are you a 2026 high school graduating senior and planning to pursue a Career and Technical Education degree or certificate program?

We are offering a $3000 Colorado Springs City-wide CTE Scholarship (school districts 2, 3, 8, 11, 12, 20 and 49).

Riley Whitelaw encompassed compassion, kindness and a solid work ethic in all aspects of her life. We want to provide scholarship(s) to graduating seniors who carry the same qualities as Riley and who are intending to pursue a Career and Technical Education degree or certificate.

This scholarship application CLOSES on April 3. This is the inaugural year offering this CTE scholarship!

Head to our website (www.rileywhitelaw.org) for more information and to apply! Currently open to school districts 2, 3, 8, 11, 12, 20 and 49.

03/02/2026

Hey SENIORS... We have a dedicated Scholarship Application for Air Academy Students ONLY! Check out the Google Form on our website (www.rileywhitelaw.org) to apply!

Riley Whitelaw encompassed compassion, kindness and a solid work ethic in all aspects of her life. We want to provide scholarship(s) to Air Academy High School graduating seniors who carry the same qualities as Riley and who are intending to pursue a 4-year college degree.

AAHS is Riley's Alma Mater!

The deadline for this scholarship application is April 3. We are offering $7000+ to one or two Air Academy High School seniors!

Don't wait until the deadline for your submission! Check it off your list of things to do so you can try to relax and enjoy the final semester of your senior year!

Address

Colorado Springs, CO
80901-80951, 80960, 80962, 80970, 80977, 80995, 80997

Website

https://www.rileywhitelaw.org/

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