The CGA Educational Foundation offers company-funded Piggyback Scholarships. They are designed so that individual companies can offer scholarships to their employees or their employees’ dependent sons and daughters, but without any of the administrative work required to operate a scholarship program. By applying for their company’s Piggyback scholarships, applicants automatically become eligible for CGAEF Funded, Endowed, Legacy and Donor scholarships as well.
Why should my company offer scholarships?
A scholarship program promotes good public relations within your company. It shows that you are taking an active interest in your employee’s education. This encourages loyalty and improves morale. You can maximize the publicity of your program on your company intranet or other information vehicle.
How is this my company’s scholarship?
- You determine the name of the awards.
- You determine the number of awards.
- You determine the amount of the awards.
- You determine the criteria for the selection of recipients.
When naming an award, some participants use their company’s name, others choose to memorialize a company founder, and others name the award after a person who has made a large contribution to the scholarship fund. Both the recipient and the college are informed of the name of the scholarship and the source of the scholarship’s funds.
What will this cost my company?
The minimum amount for scholarships is $1,500. If you would like to contribute more than $1,500, consider increasing the amount of the award or creating multiple scholarships. Administrative fees begin at $170 per scholarship for the 2026/27 program. The funds you provide to support your scholarships can be deducted as a charitable contribution, as the Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entity, or they can be deducted as a business expense. Awards are paid to the recipient’s institution, not the recipient themselves.
For further information on participating in this unique program, contact Brianne Page or call (916) 448-3545.
Piggyback Scholarships Available for 2026/27
The following companies and organizations will offer Piggyback scholarships to their associates for the 2026/27 academic year. All Piggyback scholarships are open to CGA member company employees and their dependents in California who are also full-time undergraduate students, unless noted otherwise.
Albertsons/Vons/Pavilions
Includes Albertsons, Vons, & Pavilions
Eighteen (18) Scholarships Totaling $30,000
- Undergraduate or graduate students
- Full- or part-time students
- Full- or part-time employees
- Dependents of employees
Anheuser- Busch
One (1) $2,500 Scholarship
- Undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students
- Full- or part-time students
- Full- or part-time employees
- Dependents of employees
Big Saver Foods (Uka Solanki Memorial)
Ten (10) $1,500 Scholarships
- Undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students
- Full-time students
- Full- or part-time employees
- Dependents of employees
Bristol Farms
Includes Bristol Farms, Lazy Acres Natural Market & New Leaf Community Markets
Five (5) Scholarships Totaling $15,000
- Undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students
- Full-time students
- Full- or part-time employees
- Dependents of employees
Cardenas Markets
Ten (10) $3,000 Scholarships
- Undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral students
- Full- or part-time students
- Full- or part-time employees
- Dependents of employees
- Applicants in CA and NV are eligible
Cardiff Seaside Market
Two (2) $2,500 Scholarships
- Undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral students
- Full- or part-time students
- Full- or part-time employees
- Dependents of employees
Certified Federal Credit Union
One (1) $2,000 Scholarship
- Undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students
- Full- or part-time students
- Full- or part-time employees
- Dependents of employees
C & S Wholesale Grocers
Includes FreshKO Produce Services, Inc.
One (1) $2,500 Scholarship
- Undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students
- Full- or part-time students
- Full- or part-time employees
- Dependents of employees
Gelson’s Markets
Twelve (12) Scholarships Totaling $35,000
- Undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students
- Full- or part-time students
- Full- or part-time employees
- Dependents of employees
North State Grocery
Includes Holiday Market & Sav-Mor Foods
Five (5) $2,000 Scholarships
- Undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral students
- Full- or part-time students
- Full- or part-time employees
- Dependents of employees
- Applicants in CA and OR are eligible
Nutricion Fundamental, Inc.
Includes Prime Time Nutricion & Quickeroo Nutricion Centers
Four (4) $2,500 Scholarships
- Undergraduate, graduate students, or doctoral students
- Full- or part-time students
- Full- or part-time employees
- Dependents of employees
PAQ Inc.
Includes Food 4 Less & Rancho San Miguel Markets
Ten (10) $1,000 Scholarships
- Undergraduate students
- Full-time students
- Full- or part-time employees
- Dependents of full-time employees
- Applicants must be attending a non-profit college/university
RMS, Inc.
Includes CarTrac & CRV ConnX
Two (2) $5,000 Scholarships
- Undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral students
- Full- or part-time students
- Full- or part-time employees
- Dependents of employees
Safeway Northern California Division
Includes Safeway, Andronico’s, Von’s & PaknSave
Ten (10) $2,000 Scholarships
- Undergraduate students
- Full-time students
- Full- or part-time employees
- Dependents of employees
- Applicants in CA, NV, and HI are eligible
Save Mart Companies
Includes Save Mart, Lucky, Lucky California, FoodMaxx, & MaxxValue
Ten (10) $1,000 Scholarships
- Undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral students
- Full-time or part-time students
- Full- or part-time employees
- Dependents of full-time employees
- Applicants in CA and NV are eligible
Smart & Final
Sixty Seven (67) Scholarships Totaling $150,000
- Undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral students
- Full-time or part-time students
- Full- or part-time employees
- Dependents of employees
- Applicants in CA, NV, and AZ are eligible
Stater Bros. Markets
Ten (10) $2,000 Scholarships
- Undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral students
- Full- or part-time students
- Full- or part-time employees
- Dependents of employees
Super A Foods
Six (6) $2,000 Scholarships
- Undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral students
- Full- or part-time students
- Full- or part-time employees
- Dependents of employees
Super King Markets
One (1) $2,000 Scholarship
- Undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral students
- Full- or part-time students
- Full- or part-time employees
- Dependents of employees
Superior Grocers (Superior Foundation)
Twenty Five (25) $2,000 Scholarships
- Undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral students
- Full-time students
- Full-time employees
- Dependents of full-time employees
- Applicants in CA and NV are eligible
United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI)
Three (3) $1,000 Scholarships
- Undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral students
- Full-time students
- Full-time employees
- Dependents of full-time employees
Vallarta Supermarkets (Gonzalez Family Foundation)
Eighty (80) $3,000 Scholarships
- Undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral students
- Full- or part-time students
- Full- or part-time employees
- Dependents of employees
- Applicants in CA and AZ are eligible
Whole Foods Market
Sixteen (16) Scholarships Totaling $23,500
- Undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral students
- Full- or part-time students
- Full- or part-time employees
- Dependents of employees
- Applicants in CA and HI are eligible
Young’s Payless IGA Markets (Harry & Lucille Young Family)
Includes Young’s Payless IGA Markets & Young’s ACE Hardware Stores
One (1) $1,000 Scholarship
- Undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral students
- Full- or part-time students
- Full- or part-time employees
- Dependents of employees
