Scholarship

In 2015, the GTA proudly launched the Corwin Hardham Memorial Scholarship fund with the first award given in 2016. This scholarship is awarded annually to Gorge high school seniors pursuing post-secondary degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM). Eligible students are those from Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Skamania and Klickitat Counties who are graduating from high school, home school or receiving a GED in the spring/ summer. 

Applications open in January each year for an annual award each Spring.  Please contact Jason Hartmann with questions.


Donate to the Corwin Hardham Memorial Scholarship

Thank you for your interest in making a contribution to the GTA’s Corwin Hardham Memorial Scholarship fund. The GTA is pleased to partner with the Gorge Community Foundation on fund management so that it exists in perpetuity through their guidance. The Gorge Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations are 100% tax deductible. Thank you for your support!

Donate online: 

  1. Visit http://gorgecf.org/donations/.
  2. Click “I would like to designate this donation to a specific fund” and then select “Corwin Hardham Memorial Scholarship Fund.”

Donate by check, send checks made out to “GCF: Corwin Hardham Memorial Scholarship Fund” to:

Gorge Community Foundation
PO Box 1711
Hood River, OR  97031


About Corwin Hardham

Corwin_HardhamCorwin Hardham grew up in the Gorge doing everything expected of a true Gorge child – snowboarding, windsurfing, kiteboarding and cycling. By the age of 15, he was windsurfing professionally and designing his own equipment with the help of Gorge tech mentors like Steve Maier of ICE, Andy von Flotow of Hood Tech and Tad McGeer of Aerovel. His intense curiosity, persistence and intelligence pushed him to a BS from the University of Washington and a PhD from Stanford. In 2006, Corwin co-founded Makani Power, a clean energy company focused on harnessing the untapped resource of high-altitude wind, which has since been acquired by Google. In 2012 at the age of 38, Corwin unexpectedly passed away, leaving a legacy for all Gorge youth looking to excel in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. Learn more about Corwin through this wonderful video, recorded at our scholarship launch fundraiser, the Robot Rendezvous held July 31, 2015. This is another great video sharing who Corwin was in high school.

The GTA is honored to name our STEM college scholarship the Corwin Hardham Memorial Scholarship after this amazing man. We hope to enable the dreams, spur the innovation and fuel the future of others like Corwin growing up in the Gorge.