Idaho Falls Mayors’ Scholarship Fund honors 48 students with $58K in scholarships

IDAHO FALLS — Several dozen students from Idaho Falls were honored with a combined $58,000 in awards from the 2026 Mayors’ Scholarship Fund on Wednesday night.

Since 2006, the fund has been awarded to numerous students from the Idaho Falls School District 91 and the Bonneville School District 93. The fund was created by former Idaho Falls Mayor Jared Fuhriman with the goal of lighting young people’s paths as they plan for their future.

“(The) idea was that there are sometimes students who don’t necessarily get the spotlight on a regular basis, but who are still really doing great things behind the scenes,” said Leslie Pincock, executive director of the scholarship fund. “He (Fuhriman) wanted to find those kids and kind of give them some stepping stones.”

Local students can apply for the scholarship between the eighth and 12th grades, if they have a 2.5 to 3.5 grade point average.

The scholarship’s motto is “lighting the path,” and Pincock said this award is a way to guide those students in the right direction and get them thinking about their futures.

“We want to include all kids from all backgrounds … and show them that you can succeed in post-secondary education and training — it just takes a little bit of encouragement,” she said.

During Wednesday’s event, 48 students received the financial awards to put toward their education. The amount of each scholarship varied depending on the level of support provided.

• The Promise Award: Twenty-four students, from grades eight through 11, were given a $250 scholarship. Pincock said this money can be saved for later use at university, used to pay for dual enrollment classes, or used to help pay for technical training programs.
• The Senior Legacy Award: Five past Promise recipients received a $2,500 scholarship for their continued academic dedication from middle school through graduation.
• The Senior Award: Sixteen graduating seniors received scholarships of $1,000 to $1,500 to assist with immediate tuition or workforce training costs.
• The Adams Foundation Award: Three graduating seniors received this prestigious $6,000 scholarship, spread over four years, to help finance their college education.

Thunder Ridge High School Senior Ava Resare, 17, told EastIdahoNews.com these scholarships have pushed her to apply for others as she looks forward to graduating and going to college.

Resare has plans to attend Brigham Young University-Idaho, where she wants to either study linguistics or forensic anthropology. She said she credits her mom for supporting her and encouraging her to turn in the scholarship applications on time, and giving her advice on what to write.

Skyline High School student Rich Tolman told EastIdahoNews.com that he and his friends Cage Lambson, also a student at Skyline, and Diego Contreras, an Idaho Falls High School student, applied for the scholarship after Tolman stumbled upon it while planning for college. Each was awarded a scholarship on Wednesday.

TJ Robinson, a scholarship winner from Hilcrest High School, said he and the others are grateful to receive these awards.

“These opportunities will help us create a better future for the next generation onward, he said. “So I’m really thankful.”