Scholarships for LGBTQ+ Youth
By Judy Bokao
Over the years, research has shown that LGBTQ+ people seeking higher education are severely disadvantaged compared to heterosexual students. This is exactly why LGBTQ+ students have more student loans than their counterparts. Research from Williams Institute, a think tank from UCLA Law, shows that LGBTQ+ adults ages 18 to 40 are much more likely to have federal student loans than non-LGBTQ+ adults.
Education is a key factor in life, and there is a need to reduce these disparities. LGBTQ+ students already face a myriad of issues when it comes to education. From bullying, legal attacks and homophobic encounters. By denying queer students access to quality education, we are condemning them to low-income jobs or unemployment and thus, the cycle of socio-economic disparity continues.
Thankfully, there are LGBTQ+ scholarships that offer queer students a chance to follow and pursue their dreams. Below is a list of scholarships for LGBTQ+ students looking to further their studies.
PFLAG Scholarships
PFLAG is America’s largest organization that focuses on supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them. Their scholarship are available in every state in the country. Most scholarships are offered to queer individuals of any age wanting to attend a higher learning institution (including trade schools, vocational programs, community colleges and universities).
The scholarship amount ranges from $1,000 to $5,000, and eligibility may differ depending on the state. However, in general, this scholarship is given to openly LGBTQ+ students who have done or are willing to do service work in the LGBTQ+ community.
Where to apply: visit the PFLAG website, view the scholarship list.
Lax Scholarship
The Lax Scholarship is available to out gay men residing anywhere in America looking to study in Philadelphia’s five-county region. These regions include namely Bucks, Chester, Montgomery, Delaware, or Philadelphia counties. The number of awardees varies every year. The deadline to apply is in February.
Where to apply: go to the Lax Scholarship.
AfterCollege STEM Inclusion Scholarship
The AfterCollege STEM Inclusion Scholarship is open to all U.S. graduate and undergraduate students from population groups under-presented looking to major in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. They offer four awards annually, one for every quarter. The application deadline is in December.
Where to apply: go to AfterCollege STEM Inclusion Scholarship website.
Mark J. Glancey and John G. Gray LGBT Scholarship
This LGBT scholarship is open to all the students who have openly embraced their sexual identity and gender orientation, be it gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. They have to be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. They offer one scholarship every year, amounting to $1000. LGBTQ+ students looking to apply for this scholarship should do so before January.
Where to apply: go to Mark J.Glancey and John G. Gray LGBT Scholarship application page.
GLSEN Scholarships
GLSEN was founded by a group of teachers who value the opportunities created by education in 1990. They are dedicated to empowering queer students and ensuring they can learn and grow in a school environment free from bullying and harassment. Their primary focus is on K-12 education.
The GLSEN Freedom Fellowship is intended for queer adults aged 18 and 25. The fellowship focuses on some select regions across America. The fellowship grants fellows a chance to learn, organize, and mobilize in order to ensure safe schools for all.
Each fellow receives a $25,000 stipend for the twelve-month experience beginning every January.
Where to apply: go to the GLSEN Freedom Fellowship website.
The National Gay Pilots Association Scholarships
This is an amazing scholarship opportunity for the LGBTQ+ aviation community worldwide. It was established about three decades ago by gay pilots from Provincetown, Massachusetts. When the NGPA was founded queer pilots worked in the organization secretly so they did not risk losing their jobs or getting a dishonorable discharge from the military. Fortunately, times have changed, and NGPA is the biggest organization of queer aviation professionals and enthusiasts globally.
The 2023 NGPA Scholarship Cycle is open from June 1, 2023, through July 31, 2023. They offer more than 30 different scholarships in aviation fields. The scholarship amount ranges from $1,000 to $10,000 .
Where to apply: go to the NGPA website and apply.
The Dru Project’s Spirit of Drew Scholarship
The Dru Project was founded by a group of Drew Leinonen’s friends after he was one of the 49 murdered at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, FL. Every year, they give out scholarships to students who “exemplify Drew’s spirit and desire for unity, inclusion, and love”. The organization feels that setting young leaders up for success is the best way to change the future.
The organization gives out 3 to 5 scholarships per year. Generally the application period is between March and May.
Where to apply: go to the Spirit of Dru website.
The LEAGUE Foundation Scholarships
Founded in 1987, the League Foundation LGBTQ+ scholarship accepts applications from January and closes in April. They offer Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender youth a chance to attend institutions of higher learning. They hope to curb the growing dropout rate for LGBTQ+ students in America.
Presently, the LEAGUE Foundation has four awards for consideration, with a total of 12 awardees. Three of these awards are sponsored by and named after a family or person.
The awards are:
- The Laurel Hester Memorial Scholarship (1 award annually)
- The Matthew Shepard Memorial Scholarship (1 award annually)
- The Tyler Clementi Memorial Scholarship (1 award annually)
- The LEAGUE Foundation Scholarship (up to 9 awards annually)
Where to apply: go to the League Foundation LGBTQ+ Scholarship website.
Out Scholarship
Out was formed in 2017 by three gay men from Brigham Young University. They wanted to help other queer students graduate without the traumatic experience most faced in the early 80s and 90s. This scholarship is available to LGBTQ+ students studying at Brigham Young University.
The scholarship applications close in late July.
Where to apply: go to the Out Foundation Scholarship website.
Pride Foundation Scholarships
Pride Foundation was founded in 1985 and its mission was to create an equitable world for everyone, especially the LGBTQ+ community. They understand how the power of education helps achieve this goal. The foundation offers scholarships to LGBTQ+ student leaders based in the Northwest: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.
They offer over 60 scholarships annually. Their application cycle generally opens in October.
Where to apply: go to the Pride Foundation Scholarship website.
Colin Higgins Foundation Scholarship
The foundation was established in 1986. Higgins was an Australian-American screenwriter, producer, actor and director. Sadly, he passed away from HIV/AIDS in 1988 but his humanitarian legacy continues through his foundation. The Colin Higgins foundation was created to support LGBTQ+ youth in underserved communities.
In 2022, the foundation partnered with Outfest and started the “Colin Higgins Youth Filmmaker Grant.” The grant is meant to support queer youth filmmakers. This year, they partnered with Frameline, the San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival. Three filmmakers were awarded $15,000 grants to support their work in the film industry.
Where to apply: go to the Colin Higgins Foundation website.
Stonewall Foundation Scholarship
Stonewall Community Foundation is a public foundation that raises money and funds hundreds of nonprofits annually to empower the queer community. They have six unique scholarship programs, including a scholarship for LGBTQ+ Immigrants.
All these scholarships are meant to support young queer dreamers who are hoping to pursue higher education. The scholarship amount ranges from $4,000 to $18,000.
Where to apply: go to the Stonewall Foundation Scholarship website.
The Markowski-Leach Scholarship Fund
The Markowski-Leach Scholarship Fund was started by a gay couple from San Francisco, Tom and Jim Leach. After being diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in 1980, they wanted to leave a legacy that will impact the LGBTQ+ community. They wanted to offer scholarships to queer individuals who will “…make a substantial contribution to society, thereby enhancing society’s perception of gay and lesbian people as well as increasing the gay and lesbian community’s self-esteem…”
Where to apply: visit the Markowski-Leach Scholarship Fund .
Reach Out Scholarships
Reach Out has existed for over 20 years and is considered one of the most diverse LGBTQ+ business communities. Their range of programs is meant to educate, inspire and encourage LGBTQ+ networking. This is why they collaborated with prominent business school programs and started the ROMBA Fellowship award. This scholarship is offered to LGBTQ+ people pursuing higher education in business. The fellowship award gives a minimum $20,000 scholarship. It also gives access to exclusive leadership programming.
Where to apply: visit the Reach Out Website .
NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists Scholarships
This is a journalist-led association working towards fair and accurate coverage of LGBTQ+ communities and the issues that affect them. The association offers two scholarship awards yearly, namely: The Leroy F. Aarons Scholarship Award and The Kay Longcope Scholarship Award.
The Kay Longcope Scholarship Award offers up to $3,000 in tuition assistance to an LGBTQ+ student of colour aspiring to be a journalist. The Leroy F. Aarons Scholarship Award provides up to $5,000 in tuition funding to an LGBTQ+ journalist student.
Where to apply: visit the NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists Website.
The Human Rights Campaign Scholarship
The Human Rights Campaign Fund was founded in 1980 to support pro-fairness congressional candidates. However, over the years, they have expanded their programs to be inclusive. They also rebranded to show and offer their support to the LGBTQ+ community.
Their scholarship program offers a list of scholarships, fellowships and grants for LGBTQ+ and allied students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Each scholarship is dedicated to a certain cause. You can find the numerous scholarship opportunities on the HRC scholarship database. The scholarship amount ranges from $1,000 to $5,000. Each scholarship has different due dates and number of awardees.
Where to apply: go to the HRC Resource page on their website and search the list of scholarships in their database.
Know of a LGBTQ+ scholarship not feautred on this list? Email mpintern@matthewshepard.org to have it added.
About the Author:
Judy Bokao is 20 years old and was born in Ethiopia but relocated to Nairobi two years ago. She is passionate about everyone having equal rights and is also big on conservation and speaking up for our planet. Judy loves reading and photography and is just a free-spirited young lady trying to grow into a woman her mom can be proud of.
