Chris Eaton Foundation
The Chris Eaton Foundation was created to assist in raising awareness of healthy living resources to help mitigate mental health issues facing young people today, provide information to assist young people and families in finding help, and award annual monetary college scholarships to graduating student athletes. We have awarded $30,000 in college scholarships since 2024 and are a proud sponsor of the September 2025 Tyler Talk to Albuquerque area high school students and UNM student athletes.
The Foundation solicits and gratefully accepts tax deductible donations to pursue its goals. The Foundation is operated by family and friends on a volunteer basis. It has no employees, and volunteers and family members are not paid for their time and efforts. All donations are used to fund the scholarships and assist in raising awareness of healthy living resources.
Free Services Provided for Student Athletes:
Teen Counseling
(aGES 13-17)
BetterHelp removes the traditional barriers to therapy to give everyone access to affordable and convenient mental health care — 100% online.
The Chris Eaton Foundation has partnered with BetterHelp and TeenCounseling to offer 6-months of free therapy to support you and give you a head start on your mental wellness journey.
Get started today:
1. If you are between the ages of 13-17, click “Redeem Voucher” below and type in: chris-eaton-foundation
2. You’ll then be prompted to answer a few questions about your therapy needs and preferences. This helps us match you to the right therapist.
3. Then you can activate your Teen Counseling account via email.
4. Most new members are matched with their therapist in as little as 48 hours.
Better Help
(ages 18+)
BetterHelp removes the traditional barriers to therapy to give everyone access to affordable and convenient mental health care — 100% online.
The Chris Eaton Foundation has partnered with BetterHelp to offer 3-months of free therapy to support you and give you a head start on your mental wellness journey.
Get started today:
1. If you are 18+ years old, click “Redeem Voucher” below and type in: chris-eaton-foundation
2. You’ll then be prompted to answer a few questions about your therapy needs and preferences. This helps us match you to the right therapist.
3. Then you can activate your BetterHelp account via email.
4. Most new members are matched with their therapist in as little as 48 hours.
Waking Up App
(All Ages)
The Waking Up app teaches you how to build mental clarity, emotional resilience, and a deeper sense of presence in everyday life.
The Chris Eaton Foundation has partnered with Waking Up to offer student-athletes 6-months of free access to the Waking Up app.
Get started today:
Kindly click “Redeem Voucher” below to redeem your free access to the app.
Please use the code CHRISEATONFOUNDATION if it asks for a code.
Enjoy your practice!
Note: After the 6-months, if you find the app useful and would like to extend it, you can use this scholarship link and request for a scholarship.
COACH CHRIS EATON MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
After Chris died, his family decided to do something to carry on, as best they could, Chris’s energetic and passionate support for young people, especially student-athletes. With the support and encouragement of many, they established the Chris Eaton Foundation and the Scholarship in November 2023. A Cibola High School soccer player and co-valedictorian was the 2024 $10,000 recipient. Four scholarship awards totaling $20,000 have been awarded in 2025.
Information about the 2026 scholarships will be posted later in the fall.
Chris’s family and close friends contributed money to start the Scholarship fund. Many generous people have donated since then. (See a list of donors by clicking here or ABOUT and OUR SUPPORTERS at the top of the page.) Charitable contributions are needed to continue to build the fund into an endowment that will provide scholarships for years to come.
The Chris Eaton Foundation is a tax-exempt public charity under the Internal Revenue Service Code. Donations for the Coach Chris Eaton Memorial Scholarship can be made to the Chris Eaton Foundation by clicking the DONATE link on this page.
COACH CHRIS EATON MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
award requirements + criteria
Applicants must be graduating high school seniors who participated in at least one school-sponsored sport at the varsity level for at least one full season at an Albuquerque high school, who have at least a cumulative 3.2 GPA over the course of high school, and who will attend college or a vocational school in the fall. Applications will be evaluated on the following four criteria, which student-athletes are asked to address in the application process:
Student
ATHLETICS
Performance and accomplishments in the student’s sport(s), including statistical performance, awards and recognition, highlights and special moments, contributions to team success, personal development and improvement in the sport, and willingness to listen to coaches, and to learn and grow as an athlete and a teammate.
ACADEMIC Achievements
This category focuses primarily on the student’s performance in the classroom, including awards, achievements, grade point averages, trends toward improvement, as well as a curiosity about the world and desire to learn. The student’s academic goals and a plan to achieve those goals also will be considered.
LEADERSHIP + Teamwork
Student’s efforts and achievements both on and off the field with regard to setting an example for others, and motivating themselves and others to set goals and work hard toward those goals. Consideration will be given to specific examples of how the student assisted or motivated his or her teammates to continually improve. Good leadership makes everyone on the team better.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
This category focuses on activities and interests that are not in the student’s sport or on the field or court. Activities here can include charitable and volunteer activities, fund-raising for good causes, helping those in need, and generally working toward improving one’s family, neighborhood, church, clubs, community or the world at large.
HOW IT WORKS
Applicants must be high graduating school seniors who participated in at least one school-sponsored sport at the varsity level in an Albuquerque high school, have a cumulative 3.2 GPA or higher over the course of high school, and will attend college or a vocational school in the fall.
It is recommended that applicants read the materials on this website and develop an understanding of Chris Eaton and the criteria for the Scholarship award. Applicants should take their time to complete the written application form on this website and prepare a short video presentation. Information about the 2026 scholarships will be posted later in the fall. The application period generally begins around the first of December and ends in March.
A committee selected by the Chris Eaton Foundation will review the applications, solicit comments from others, and announce the winner or winners. Arrangements will then be made to transfer the Scholarship money to the student’s account at a college or vocational school the student will attend.
The Foundation has awarded $30,000 in college scholarship since 2024.
In honor & loving memory of coach chris eaton
