OK3 AIR funds first-gen scholarships, local nonprofits

OK3 AIR, a fixed-base operator at the Heber Valley Airport, said it awarded more than $50,000 in charitable foundation grants in 2025 to eight nonprofits serving the Heber Valley, including a $20,000 scholarship grant for first-generation Wasatch High School seniors. Photo: OK3 AIR

HEBER CITY, Utah — OK3 AIR, a fixed-base operator at the Heber Valley Airport, said it awarded more than $50,000 in charitable foundation grants in 2025 to eight nonprofits serving the Heber Valley, with the largest award aimed at helping first-generation students pay for college.

The grants averaged about $6,500 each, according to a Jan. 21 press release from the company. The biggest grant — $20,000 — went to the Wasatch County School District Foundation, also known as the Wasatch Education Foundation, to fund scholarships for eight first-generation college students from Wasatch High School’s Class of 2026.

OK3 AIR said it has operated at the Heber Valley Airport for 25 years and runs an annual Charitable Foundation Grant program that prioritizes nonprofits focused on public health, education, the arts, environmental work, and land conservation.

The 2025 grant recipients named in the release were:

• Christian Center of Park City / Heber Food Pantry / Snacks in Backpacks Project
• Community Alliance for Main Street / City Park Programming
• Heber Valley Ospreys / Civil Air Patrol Squadron UT-803 / Educational programs
• Kimball Art Center / ARTS Tours at Heber Valley elementary schools and YAA scholarships
• Timpanogos Valley Theatre / Funding for “1776 The Musical”
• UAC Foundation / Nutcracker Tea Benefit for the Children’s Justice Center
• Wasatch Education Foundation / We Rise First-Gen Scholars Program
• Wasatch Immigration Project / Pro bono legal services

“These non-profits will impact thousands of people in Heber Valley in 2026,” Maggie AbuHaidar, general counsel to OK3 AIR and director of the OK3 AIR Charitable Foundation Grants Program, said in the release.

OK3 AIR launched the grant program in 2022 and said it has donated about $300,000 to Heber Valley-serving nonprofits since then.

The application window for OK3 AIR’s 2026 charitable grants opens June 1, the company said. Applicants must be 501(c)(3) nonprofits based in or serving the Heber Valley and aligned with the program’s focus areas.