The Ripon Education Foundation’s Community Scholarship Drive began in 2006 and has since provided key support to this portion of the Foundation’s mission. Each spring, Ripon 9th-12th grade students canvassed the community in a door-to-door effort seeking donations to the scholarship fund. Beginning in 2020, students helped create letters to previous donors. In 2021, we added online donation functionality and took this effort to social media. All of the funds raised go directly to scholarships for students. Some of the scholarships are determined by lottery, while others are determined by merit. Both merit and lottery scholarships are awarded to students who participate in supporting the drive. Each year, this effort typically raises more than $15,000.

Thanks to the expanding generosity of donors, the Foundation was able to award a surprise ninth lottery award live on Awards Night in 2021. In the spring of 2022, the Foundation created a new $1,000 "Initiative Scholarship" which is renewable for up to four years. The first recipient of this new award was announced on Awards Night in May 2022.  The Foundation is grateful to its growing list of donors who help make new opportunities like this possible.