Boise State University Foundation Inc

How can you help?

The Boise State University Foundation is the charitable nonprofit organization for the benefit of Boise State University.  Your generous gift to the general endowed scholarship fund will help ensure more and more Boise State students are able to have a meaningful and transformative college experience. 

Did you know?

• 64% of students rely on some type of financial aid to attend Boise State
• $6,640 is the cost of tuition and fees for Idaho resident undergraduates to attend Boise State for one year
• $1,720 is the median academic scholarship award

Scholarships are our best resource to help increase access and affordability of a college education for students who otherwise could not afford to attend.  Your gift will make a difference in the life of a deserving Boise State student like Shelbi Ferdinand!

Shelbi's story

Shelbi is a scholarship recipient at Boise State University majoring in health science. Her plan is to become an occupational therapist (OT) in a community near her hometown of Marsing, Idaho — a career path inspired by Shelbi’s late sister, Shaela.

“Shaela was two years younger than me, had special needs and received in-home occupational therapy. After she passed away, I started volunteering at a therapy clinic in Caldwell. That’s when I decided occupational therapy was for me.”

A scholarship made this dream achievable for Shelbi. She’s the recipient of the Jim Plumtree Pre-Occupational Therapy Scholarship. Like most students with scholarships, Shelbi is a working student, and the scholarship helps to reduce financial stress and debt. “Graduate school is expensive and I’ve been able to work toward my end goal thanks to this scholarship.”

Shelbi follows in the footsteps of James S. Plumtree, the scholarship’s namesake. Before he died in 2013, Plumtree was a leader in the OT field impacting many lives over a career of nearly 50 years.