About Virginia Smith Trust

The trust’s namesake, Virginia, was a Merced native whose family settled in Merced in the 1850s. In her will, Virginia declared that the land that sustained her family for almost a century be used to fund scholarships for “worthy, deserving and needy” students in the city of Merced. 

The VST and land associated with the trust also played a vital role in University of California regents selecting Merced as the home for the tenth University of California campus.

Since its inception in 1975, the VST has generated funds that benefitted more than 3,000 Merced students through nearly $6 million scholarships.