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History of Meritus College Fund Meritus College Fund was founded in 1996 by San Francisco endocrinologist Dr. Safrit, MD, and five colleagues who are community leaders and educators. Dr. Safrit and his co-founders were concerned that many qualified San Francisco public high school graduates found it difficult, if not impossible, to finance their higher education. Academically-prepared seniors were not prepared for the high costs of a college education due to their family's limited financial resources and the students' less than perfect grade point averages (GPA's). Financial aid grants were not keeping pace with steadily increasing college costs, and student loan indebtedness was at an all-time high. Additionally, these high-achieving, low-income students were overlooked routinely by organizations who preferred to give scholarships to seniors with near perfect academic records. Meritus was created to help as many San Francisco public high school graduating seniors as possible reach their educational goals and achieve their full potential, by establishing four-year college scholarships to assist them. 100% of all donations go directly into student scholarships. Meritus founders focused on students who had achieved B to B+ averages while overcoming substantial obstacles to achieve their educational goals. Numerous students worked long hours while attending high school, some were recent immigrants who struggled to learn English quickly and many students lived in public housing. These dedicated students also led student clubs, volunteered in their community, played school sports, raised younger siblings and took Advanced Placement classes, working diligently towards their dreams of attending college. Beginning in Fall 2001, Meritus launched a student support service called Connections. Over the years, this program has grown to include couseling, mentoring, career exploration and leadership development. The five Meritus founders each pledged $500 for four years to establish the first $10,000 Meritus Award ($2500 per year). The 1996 Meritus Scholar has since graduated from Santa Clara University with a bachelor's degree in finance and a minor in Japanese. She is now a marketing manager for Symantec Corp. and has started a family. In 1997, five new Scholars were selected. All of the students were ethnic minorities and several were the first in their families to attend college.
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