Van R. Johnson Sutter Scholars Program
Sutter Health has established a competitive college scholarship program for the children and grandchildren of employees working for Sutter Health or its entities. High school seniors heading to college, full-time undergraduate students and those pursuing full-time health-related graduate school studies may apply.
Van R. Johnson Sutter Scholars Program
Established by Sutter Health in 2002, the Sutter Scholars program is named in honor of former Sutter Health CEO Van R. Johnson. It supports the continuing education of children and grandchildren of Sutter Health and entity employees. Sponsored by the Sacramento Region Community Foundation on behalf of Sutter Health, the program reflects Sutter’s appreciation for its employees and supports their children’s and grandchildren’s journey to become compassionate, responsible citizen leaders through higher education. Scholarships are awarded annually after a competitive review. Amounts awarded will vary, based on the applicants’ qualifications and need.
The program is administered by Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarships and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Eligibility for individual programs is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsor and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America’s evaluation team.
Eligibility
Applicants must:
- Be children or grandchildren of Sutter Health or entity employees who have completed their introductory period with Sutter Health or its entities as of the application deadline date. Employment status will be verified through the official payroll system.
- “Children,” for the purposes of this program and application, means an employee’s child, stepchild, legal ward or the child of an employee’s registered domestic partner.
- There is no age limit for applicants.
- Children or grandchildren of employees on an approved leave of absence are eligible.
- Children or grandchildren of a Sutter employee who retires, is laid off, is terminated or voluntarily leaves the organization during the application cycle (February 2 through March 31, 2026), remain eligible for the current award.
- Previous recipients may reapply for further awards if the Sutter Health employee retires, is laid off, is terminated or voluntarily leaves the organization during or after the term of an awarded scholarship.
Applicants must also:
- Be a graduating high school senior, high school graduate or current undergraduate who plans to enroll or is already enrolled in a full-time undergraduate course of study at an accredited two-year or four-year college/university, or vocational-technical school in the United States for the entire upcoming academic year.
OR
- Be a graduate student who has earned a bachelor’s degree and who plans to enroll or is already enrolled full-time in an eligible healthcare-related degree at an accredited graduate school in the United States for the entire upcoming academic year. Eligible graduate level degrees may include, but are not limited to, concentrations in the following healthcare-related subject matter areas:
- Acupuncture
- Chiropractic studies
- Complementary and/or integrative medicine programs
- Dentistry
- Health sciences
- Homeopathy
- Medical school
- Nursing
- Occupational therapy
- Optometry
- Pharmacy
- Physical therapy
- Physician Assistant
- Psychiatry, psychology, or counseling
- Public health
- Social work (health-related career path)
- Speech therapy
AND
- Maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent).
Who is not eligible to apply:
- Children or grandchildren of independent contractors, temporary staff or volunteers are NOT eligible.
- Children or grandchildren of physicians are NOT eligible, unless the physician is employed by Sutter Health or one of its entities.
- Applicants who are Sutter Health or entity employees are NOT eligible, even if they are the child or grandchild of another Sutter Health or entity employee. Also, scholarship recipients may not be employed by Sutter Health or one of its entities at the time the awards are disbursed.
- Graduate students enrolled in post graduate teaching credential programs are NOT eligible.
Awards
This is a highly competitive scholarship program, and not all who apply will receive an award. For applicants chosen to receive a scholarship, amounts for the upcoming academic year will be:
- Program I – $4,000 each for students seeking a bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate degree.
- Program II – $2,000 each for students seeking a certificate/diploma or associate degree.
Awards are not renewable. However, students may reapply to the program each year they meet eligibility requirements. Recipients may receive the award for a maximum of four years.
Awards are for undergraduate and graduate studies and may be used for any education-related expenses. Once tuition, fees and other on-campus expenses have been met, the college may release any remaining funds to the student for other education-related expenses.
Notification
Applicants will be notified by the end of June of their award status. This program is highly competitive, and not all students applying for a scholarship will receive an award. All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.
Notifications are sent via email. When setting up your account, avoid using a school or work email. Instead, use an active, personal email address that you will continue to have access to.
Please make sure to add studentsupport@scholarshipamerica.org as well as the program email address as safe senders in your email contact list.
Payment of Scholarships
Scholarship America processes Van R. Johnson Sutter Scholars Program payments on behalf of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation. Payment is made in one installment in August. The student and their family are responsible for directing the scholarship payment to the correct department within the educational institution. Recipients must notify Scholarship America of any changes in address, school enrollment or other relevant information.
Selection of Recipients
The program will consider the following factors to determine each applicant’s merit:
- Academic performance
- Demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities
- Work experience
- A statement of educational and career goals and objectives
- Unusual personal or family circumstances
- Financial need
- Essay (2,000 characters) in response to this question: At Sutter Health, we believe each of us has the power to make a positive difference in the lives of our patients and co-workers, just by bringing our best to work every day. Examples of our individual “superpowers” include compassion, dedication to excellence, creativity or making sure others always feel respected and included. What is your superpower that helps you succeed at school, at work or in your personal life? Tell us about it and how you use it to make a difference at home, at school or in your community.
Recipients are selected by Scholarship America. All information received is considered confidential. In no instance does any officer or employee of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation or Sutter Health play a part in the selection. The selection committee’s decisions are final and are not subject to appeal. The selection process will not be influenced or affected by any federal or state protected class or category of any applicant.
Requirements
As part of your application, you must upload the following:
- A current, complete transcript of grades. Grade reports are not accepted. Transcripts must display:
- Student name
- School name
- Grades
- Credit hours for each course and term in which each course was taken.
NOTE: If you are providing SAT or ACT test scores, and those scores are not listed on your high school transcript, you will need to upload a copy of your test score report(s) separately. If you are uploading a college transcript, those scores are not required.
Your application is not complete unless all required materials are submitted electronically.
Frequently Asked Questions
Scholarship applications are available online beginning February 2. Applications and supporting documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on March 31, 2026.
As part of the application, all applicants must upload a current, complete transcript of grades. Grade reports are not accepted. Transcripts must display student name, school name, grades, and credit hours for each course and term in which each course was taken.
*FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), FAFSA Submission Summary or SAI (Student Aid Index) documentation is not required. Please do not upload.
Applicants must provide the most recent transcript from their high school or college. Applicants should request transcripts as soon as possible from an academic advisor, school counselor, school registrar, admissions and records office, or online portal.
Transcripts must clearly state your name, the school name, grade and credit hours earned for each course, calculated term and cumulative GPA, and the term in which each course was taken. It does not need to be an official transcript if it provides all the information needed. Applications without transcripts will not be considered.
A student who withdraws from school or enrolls in less than a full-time course load must notify the Van R. Johnson Sutter Scholars program manager immediately. Call 800-537-4180 or email sutterscholars@scholarshipamerica.org. Any unused portion of a scholarship should be returned to the Van R. Johnson Sutter Scholars program. Scholarship awards cannot be deferred until the following academic year.
Additionally, you must immediately notify the Van R. Johnson Sutter Scholars program manager if you change enrollment plans (for example: instead of attending a four-year university, you attend a community college). Changes to your enrollment plans may decrease your scholarship award. For example: If you are awarded a scholarship in Program I for a bachelor’s program and change to a certificate/diploma or associate’s degree program, the award will decrease to $2,000.
No. Students must apply each year and comply with all application requirements to be considered for an award. Previous scholarship recipients may or may not receive an award again. If a previous recipient is selected to receive a scholarship again, the award amount may not be the same as in the previous year.
Students may receive four years of scholarship funding from the Van R. Johnson Sutter Scholars Program. Students who have received an award during any four academic years are not eligible to receive further scholarship funds.
Applicants will receive an email confirming submission of the application. You will then be notified by email of your final award status by the end of June.
