About the Youth Awards:
The Youth Awards was founded in 1998 by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation. Now entering its 27th year, the Youth Awards honors high school seniors who excel in the classroom and community and for their excellence in various categories including: Community Service, Education, Engineering, Entrepreneurship & Business, Green Sustainability, Healthcare & Science, Media & Entertainment, Public Service & Social Justice, and Technology.
Gold, Silver, and Bronze recipients are selected in each category and receive a one-time grant to fund their college education or to fund a community service effort that tackles a social issue, and then one national Awardee is selected in each of the categories.
Once selected, recipients will be celebrated in virtual ceremonies and will become part of our broader HHF network. The Youth Awards program is the main feeder to LOFT (Leaders On Fast Track) and LOFT Leadership Institute (LLI), an active institution focused on leadership, workforce, community, culture, and social justice led by HHF in partnership with Trinity University. The Youth Awardees are also funneled into the LOFT Network, which is a collective of 300,000 students and young professionals with access to mentors, resources, networking, workshops, symposia, summits, internships, and full-time positions with Fortune 500 Companies.
HHF’s mission focuses on education, workforce development, societal impact, and leadership, with culture serving as the cornerstone of its mission. Through HHF’s 27-year-old Youth Awards program, tens of thousands of high-achieving high school students have been recognized and received more than five million dollars to support their education, ideas, or projects.
Application Status:
- The 2025 Youth Awards season is currently closed. The program will open again in late August/ early September.
Deadline:
- 2025 Season deadline TBA
2025 Season Eligibility:
- Be currently enrolled in high school and graduating in the spring of 2026
- Must have a minimum unweighted 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale or 7.5 on a 10.0 scale
- Must enroll at an accredited higher education institution in 2026-2027
- If selected, attendance to virtual awards ceremony is mandatory
Need Help?:
- Watch our video tutorial of the Youth Awards application process here
Colgate-Palmolive is proud to sponsor the Youth Awards through the “Haz La U” (Make the U) college grant program for high school seniors. Colgate-Palmolive believes that a higher education is a path to a brighter future and is dedicated to helping students get there.
Have you focused on academic excellence, dedicated service to your community, and demonstrated leadership? Your effort could be rewarded by receiving one of 31 educational grants with Colgate providing $100,000 in total support.
