Colorado Outward Bound School is committed to offering our life-changing programs to all young people, regardless of their ability to pay. COBS offers partial scholarships through our Student Opportunity Fund as well as full-tuition scholarships through our ASCEND Program.

The ASCEND program supports students, especially in our local communities (Colorado and Utah), to attend a COBS course. This program is for individuals based on financial need as well as organizational partners like schools and nonprofits who work with communities of youth who deserve access these important leadership and character building expeditions.
COBS is grateful to our many scholarship supporters who make these transformational programs available to more youth.

We are pleased to offer a number of named scholarships to youth, including:

The Gruffie Scholarship for young women ages 16 – 25 to attend a 14+ day COBS course and harness their passions and direction in life, given by the many friends of former instructor and board member Gruffie Clough.

The Robert H. Ramsay Scholarship to support Colorado Springs youth, given by the Joseph Henry Edmondson Foundation in memory of Trustee Bob Ramsey

The Tim Garrison Scholarship for young men in Denver to attend a mountaineering course in Colorado, given in memory of Tim Garrison by his family.

The Victoria Thurber O’Reilly Scholarship for youth of need, given in memory of C-91 alumnus Tory Thurber by one of her patrolmates, so that her example may inspire a new generation of students to live their days well.

Emerging Leaders Scholarship – To support one or two people annually with financial need who deserve the chance to channel their own leadership potential, but might not otherwise have the opportunity. This scholarship fund was established through the generosity of Kim Miller of Scarpa North America, Peter Metcalf, founder of Black Diamond Equipment, Chris Warner of Earth Treks, Nazz Kurth of Petzl, and Jonathan Lantz of La Sportiva. These leaders in the climbing industry acknowledge the role that challenging experiences, like Outward Bound and other expeditions, played in their own development as leaders and ultimately led to their careers in the outdoor industry.

Osprey Scholarship – To support one youth to attend a two week course. Generously given by Osprey Packs, a strong advocate for the outdoors and partner of the Colorado Outward Bound School.

The Ohlsson-Walker Family Scholarships – To support one young woman and one young man annually to attend a longer COBS course (three weeks) who would not otherwise have the opportunity to dig deep within themselves and discover their full potential.

Whole Foods Scholarship - Whole Foods Market is a uniquely mission-driven company built on a passion for natural and organic foods, and where supporting our local and global communities are hugely important to us. We plant our roots deeply in each community we serve. The work Colorado Outward Bound School does to assist underserved kids in our community made this a natural partnership for us.

We pride ourselves on creating and maintaining meaningful relationships with organizations striving to make a difference in our community. We love working hand-in-hand with Colorado Outward Bound School and the work they do with the kids in our community that need it the most.

Please contact the development office at COBS to see how you can contribute at 303-676-8246.

Students or families interested in these scholarships should visit our scholarship page and then contact Nicole Scheunemann, scholarship program coordinator: nscheunemann@cobs.org or 303-676-8238.