ARCS Foundation Celebrated its 65th Anniversary at the 2024 All ARCS Conference in Chicago. Through the decades, the organization has remained true to its fundamental principles:
- 100% of all contributions to scholar award funds go directly to scholars.
- Recipients must be U.S. citizens who demonsrate considerable potential.
- Partner schools are selected for excellence in science, engineering, mathematics, or medical research.
- Universities select scholars on the basis of academic achievement without regard for race, creed, or gender.
Origin Story: A Tale of Sputnik and Spunky Women 
Fascination with the idea of a U.S. space program turned to alarm when a Soviet-launched satellite orbited Earth in 1957. In Los Angeles, a small but ambitious and energetic group of women asked what they could do to elevate the nation's scientific leadership and re-establish technological superiority.
Audacious founder Florence Malouf (with then-Gov. Ronald Reagan at left) and co-founders Mrs. Franklin Slagel, Mrs. Dean Wooldridge and Mrs. John Tyler met with California Institute of Technology President Lee DuBridge. Together they forged a unique partnership between science and society: Achievement Rewards for College Scientists, soon to became a model for women's science educational philanthropy.
On September 5, 1958, ARCS Foundation, Inc. was incorporated as a non-profit organization in California; 13 days later, its formation was announced at the CalTech campus in Pasadena along with its purpose: to "…raise money for scholarships and fellowships (now known as Scholar Awards)…for the support of both undergraduate and graduate students,"
The first awards—three $1,000 scholarships—were presented to science students at Caltech and Harvey Mudd College, and the initial scholars were feted at a Science Awards Dinner in 1962. That model was adopted by other chapters as ARCS Foundation spread across the continent to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west over the ensuing seven decades.