A $1 million donation from Foster Poultry Farms will establish a new, University of California, Merced scholarship fund.

The fund, The Foster Poultry Farms Scholarship Fund, will offer eligible UC Merced students financial support for the next 10 years. About 87 percent of all undergraduate students applied for financial aid in the 2010-2011 academic year, and 93 percent of those received some form of financial assistance.

Foster Poultry Farms has donated nearly $2.3 million to UC Merced since 2004. In 2004, the company donated $1.2 million to fund hands-on educational experiences through the Foster Family Center for Engineering Service Learning Program.