The Gordon A. Rich Memorial Foundation (“GAR”) was created to honor the memory of Gordon Rich. Gordon was an individual of extraordinary talent, energy and persistence with a passion for life. He was extremely bright, hard working, a superb athlete, an accomplished pianist, a master chef and wine connoisseur, an advisor to corporations and their leaders and a loving father and husband. His effusive personality combined with a genuine interest in the well being of others yielded him a plethora of friends from all walks of life.

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GAR's mission is to award grants to support the higher education goals of its recipients. The recipients of GAR scholarships are exceptionally qualified high school students with demonstrated financial need whose parents or guardians have, or had, a career in the financial services industry. You can view the Master List of companies which meet this definition; however, this list is not exhaustive. If you feel that a company which is not on the list meets this definition, please send an email to info@gordonrich.org with the name, location, phone number, and description of the organization.

The GAR Foundation awards approximately seven scholarships a year.

• Applicants must be dependent children of full-time employees in the financial services industry (commercial banks, investment banks, securities brokerage firms, insurance companies, fund and asset management companies, credit card and finance companies and similar businesses as determined by the Foundation). Employees must be presently employed with five years of experience OR no longer employed in this field but had ten years of experience which ended no longer than five years prior to the GAR Scholarship application closing date (which is located on the top of the application).
• Students must be graduating high school seniors who are enrolling as full time first year students in pursuit of a four-year bachelor's degree at an accredited college/university in the United States.
• Students must have a minimum grade point average of 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) and rank in the top 20% of their class.
• Students must demonstrate financial need.
• Students must be a US citizen or legal resident.

Continuing Eligibility/Renewal Requirements:

The Gordon A. Rich Memorial Foundation requires an annual review of each scholarship award to determine renewal eligibility.

• Recipients must maintain full-time enrollment status and be in good standing with their college to have the award renewed for the next academic year.
• GAR Scholars are expected to exhibit satisfactory citizenship in both the academic community and in the community at large. Therefore, recipients may not be on any form of academic probation or suspension.
• In December of each year, a renewal form is sent to each recipient. In April of each year, a letter is sent to each recipient requesting confirmation of full-time enrollment status and intent to maintain that status, a current academic transcript, and a detailed update on the courses, projects, and activities with which the recipient has been involved during the current award year.