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Borax Visitor Center Foundation

Celebrating 25+ years of community giving

Giving back to our communities is a hallmark of business for U.S. Borax. The Borax Visitor Center Foundation—made up of company and community leaders—oversees the disbursement of Visitor Center funds through annual grant and scholarship programs.

The Borax Visitor Center Foundation Grant Program supports nonprofit, tax-exempt, and governmental organizations in and around Boron, California—the location of our U.S. mine. Founded in 1998, the Foundation has returned more than $400,000 in funding, including almost $200,000 in scholarships, to the community over the past two decades.

Each year, the Foundation awards thousands of dollars in grants aimed to improve public education, health and human services, and historic preservation. The funding for these grants comes from Borax Visitor Center gift store proceeds, visitor donations, U.S. Borax employee payroll donations, and company contributions (matching 50 cents on each dollar that our employees give).

Borax Visitors CenterBorax Visitor Center

The Borax Visitor Center, located at the Borax mine in Boron, California, is open from 9 am to 5 pm. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. Schools visiting on field trips can apply for transport reimbursement through the Foundation.

Previous grant awardees

2026 Winners

  • Boron High School Parents Advisory Council to improve the well-being of the high school students

  • Boron Senior Center to help re-pave the parking lot

  • Local Twenty Mule Team Days

  • Wind in the Willows Preschool  for family scholarship fund

2025 Winners

  • Boron Aerospace Museum  to complete swamp cooler upgrades with insulated ducting

  • Boron Alive for community activities including Trunk or Treat, as well as a community Christmas party and Santa visit

  • Boron High School students that need assistance paying for graduation cap and gowns as well as the Associated Student Body to support student leadership training

  • Boron High School Parents Advisory Council to support, encourage, and improve the well-being of the high school students

Grant eligibility

Applications will be accepted only from governmental entities, such as schools, or from non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(6) organizations, as defined by the Internal Revenue Service. Eligible organizations must focus on one or more of these areas:

  • Education

  • Health and human services

  • Community improvement

  • Historic preservation

Organizations must also be located in and provide services to one or more of these California communities:

  • Boron

  • Desert Lake

  • North Edwards

  • Aerial Acres

  • Kramer Junction

Religious, political, or fraternal organizations or those outside the grant area are ineligible.

Guidelines

Directors of the Borax Visitor Center Foundation review and award grants to eligible organizations annually.

Grant requests fall under one of two categories:

  • Funding for a specific program or project. Applicants need to provide budgetary information for that project only.

  • Funding for day-to-day operations. Applicants should use the most recent expense and revenue dollars for your entire organization.

  • Awardees of grants from the previous year also need to submit a letter that thoroughly explains how their organization spent that grant funding and how the grant affected the local community.

How to apply for a grant

The 2026 grant application period is now closed. If you have questions, please email our Borax Visitor Center Foundation representative, Mary Beth Garrison, at marybeth.garrison@riotinto.com.

Borax Visitor Center Foundation

Scholarship eligibility

  1. A current senior who will graduate from Boron High School

  2. A grade point average at or above a 3.0

  3. Completed community service throughout their high school career. Hours of service must be listed and signed off by the organization for which the service was undertaken.

How to apply for a scholarship

The 2026 scholarship application period is now closed. If you have questions, please email our Borax Visitor Center Foundation representative, Mary Beth Garrison, a marybeth.garrison@riotinto.com.

Guidelines

Applicants must complete the online application and submit all of the requested information. Applicants must also successfully participate in an interview with representatives from the Borax Visitor Center Foundation scholarship team.

Scholarship awards will be made payable to the accredited college, foundation, or trade school where the student plans to attend. Scholarship recipients MUST submit proof of enrollment and acceptance as well as the specific address and contact (if applicable) to whom the check should be mailed.

Funds must be used solely for tuition, textbooks, or miscellaneous fees charged by the college or university. Unspent funds will be forfeited if a student fails to enroll or drops out of his/her designated college, university, or trade school. Any changes in school of attendance must be approved in advance by the Borax Visitor Center Foundation board of directors.

Borax Visitor Center Foundation Board of Directors

Administrative Conditions

The Borax Visitor Center Foundation Grant Program is intended to be a continuing program. However, the Foundation retains the right to suspend, change, revoke, or terminate the program at any time.