American Association of University Women (AAUW)
Fellowships and Grants
As one of the largest sources of funding in the world
exclusively for graduate women, the AAUW supports
aspiring scholars, professionals, and activists. Some
fellowships include:
Career Development Grants support women
who hold a bachelor's degree and who are preparing to
advance their careers, change careers, or re-enter the
work force. (Deadline: December 15, 2005)
Amount: $2,000-$8,000
Community Action Grants provide seed money
to individual women, AAUW branches and AAUW state
organizations, as well as local community-based
nonprofit organizations for innovative programs or
nondegree research projects that promote education
and equity for women and girls. Applicants must be U.S
citizens or permanent residents. (Deadline: January
15, 2006)
Amount: One-year grants ($2,000-
$7,000 over one year); Two-year grants ($5,000-
$10,000 over two years)
Selected Professions Fellowships are awarded
to women who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents
and who intend to pursue a full-time course of study
(during the fellowship year) in designated degree
programs where women's participation traditionally has
been low. (Deadline: December 15, 2005 for
Engineering; January 10, 2006 for Master's and First
Professional Awards)
Amount: $20,000 (Engineering); $5,000-
$12,000 (Master's and First Professional Degrees)
Eligibility:
Check website for each programs specific eligibility
requirements.
William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fellowship for
Minority Students
The Nonprofit Sector Research Fund, a
grantmaking program of the Aspen Institute in
Washington, DC, offers the William Randolph Hearst
Endowed Fellowship three times annually. The
fellowship, which is based on academic excellence and
need, is open to both undergraduate and graduate
students who are members of minority groups. The
Hearst Fellow serves as an intern with the Fund.
Through this program, the Fund seeks to introduce a
diverse group of students to issues relating to
philanthropy, volunteerism, and nonprofit organizations.
Recipients may arrange with their colleges or
universities to receive academic credit for this
experience. (Deadline: December 15, 2005)
Amount: $2,500 - $5,000
Eligibility: The ideal candidate for this
fellowship is a highly motivated continuing graduate or
undergraduate student from an underrepresented
community. She or he should have an excellent
academic record and also have the following:
Outstanding research skills; A background in the social
sciences or humanities; Excellent writing and
communication skills; Demonstrated financial need; and
American citizenship. The student must be able to
intern for 10-15 weeks at the Washington, DC, office of
the Aspen Institute. Generally, expect that Fall and
Spring internships will be part-time (10-20 hours per
week) and Summer internships will be full-time. All
travel and housing costs must be covered by the
student.
Yes We Can Interships
Yes We Can is a training and job placement program,
organized by
Senator Barack Obama's Hopefund PAC, with a goal of
expanding
opportunities for African Americans and Latinos in
political
campaigns around the country.
This program is designed to recruit and train young
people who have
the desire to work on campaigns but have limited
political experience.
Senator Obama's priority is to identify and create a
class of talented
campaign staffers who gradually build experience in all
areas of a
campaign, and who will continue to work in politics over
an extended
period of time.
Eligibility:
Students who are interested in
political campaigns and will be completed with his or her
academic obligations by January of 2006, may be
eligible to participate in this program.
Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs
The Coro Fellows Program is the most long-standing
and well known of the Coro programs. It is an intensive
nine-month, full-time, graduate-level program. Each
year, after a rigorous national selection process, sixty-
four Coro Fellows are chosen from across the country
to serve as Coro Fellows at one of the following Coro
Centers: Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh, St. Louis
and San Francisco. Coro Fellows are engaged full-time
in individually tailored field assignments in a business,
labor union, a government agency, a non-profit
agency, and on a political election campaign. In
addition, Fellows participate in a group and individual
project for local organizations.(Deadline: January 6,
2006)
Eligibility: Bachelor's degree or
equivalent experience is required and post-graduate
academic and/or work experience are desirable. Most
candidates have been active in civic or campus
activities. Evidence of leadership potential and concern
for the well being of communities are also criteria for
selection. Fellows come from all academic disciplines,
careers and ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds.
Bell Labs Graduate Research Fellowship Program
The Bell Labs Graduate Research Fellowship
Program is designed to increase the number of
minorities and women in the fields of science, math,
engineering and technology. A Bell Labs Graduate
Research Fellowship is a wonderful opportunity to help
outstanding minorities and women enhance their
knowledge and to pursue a PH.D. degree in science and
engineering. (Deadline: January 13, 2006)
Amount: Full tuition; an annual stipend
of $17,000; $250 book allotment per semester and
1,000 per year for travel to conferences; renewable on
a yearly basis for up to four years of graduate study.
Eligibility: Fellowships are awarded to
women and members of a minority group currently
underrepresented in the sciences who are U.S. citizens
or permanent residents. The program is primarily
directed to graduating college seniors, but applications
from first-year graduate students will be considered.
Candidates are selected on the basis of scholastic
attainment in their fields of specialization, and other
evidence of their ability and potential as research
scientists. Students must be pursuing full-time doctorial
studies in select disciplines (see website for full list).
Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholars
Program
The Scholars Program brings talented Latino, African
American, Asian/Pacific Islander and American
Indian/Alaska Native college seniors and recent
graduates to Washington, DC, where they work in
congressional offices and learn about health policy.
Through the nine-week program (May 24 - July 29,
2005), Scholars gain knowledge about federal
legislative procedure and health policy issues, while
further developing their critical thinking and leadership
skills. In addition to an internship in a congressional
office, Scholars participate in seminars and site visits
to augment their knowledge of health care issues, and
write and present a health policy research memo. The
program is based at Howard University. (Deadline:
January 9, 2006)
Amount: Scholars receive approximately
$5,000 in support, which includes: A stipend of $1,500
upon completion of the program; A daily expense
allowance for meals and local transportation;
Transportation/airfare to and from Washington, D.C.;
and Lodging at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Eligibility: Candidates must be U.S.
citizens who are members of a racial/ethnic minority
group and will be seniors or recent graduates of an
accredited U.S. college or university in the fall of 2006.
Currently enrolled law, medical, and graduate students
are not eligible to apply. Candidates are selected based
on academic performance, demonstrated leadership
potential and interest in health policy.
Sponsors
for Educational Opportunity (SEO) Paid Summer
Internships
Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) works with
the major Wall Street investment banks to offer
summer internship opportunities to talented
Latino/Hispanic undergraduates. Since 1980, SEO has
placed almost 4,000 Latino, Black and other minority
students in the most competitive industries worldwide.
The Career Program is featured in Princeton Review's
106 Best Internships in America as more than 80% of
interns receive job offers from partner firms. Internships
available in following program areas: Investment
Banking, Asset Management, Information Technology,
Management Consulting, Accounting, Corporate Law,
Global Corporate Financial Leadership, Philanthropy. And
in the following locations: New York (NYC, NJ, CT), San
Francisco, Hong Kong.
(Deadline: December 15, 2005)
Amount: 10-week highly paid summer
internship - $600-$1,000 per week.
Eligibility: College sophomores, juniors
and seniors with a 3.0GPA are eligible. All majors are
welcomed.
Breakthrough Collaborative Summer Internships
Breakthrough Collaborative is a national non-profit that
increases educational opportunity for high-potential,
low-income middle school students and inspires
outstanding college and high school students to pursue
careers in education. Consistently featured as a Top
Ten Internship by the Princeton Review, Breakthrough's
innovative Students Teaching Students model partners
middle-school students with college and high school
students who serve as teachers, role models and
mentors, providing real-life examples that it's 'cool to
be smart'. Drawn from the public school system, 89% of
Breakthrough's students are students of color and 65%
qualify for free or reduced-price lunch programs. English
is a second language for 27% of the students, and
most will be the first in their family to attend college.
Students commit to a minimum of two years of
intensive six-week summer sessions and after-school
programs in which they take classes in core academic
subjects, and participate in elective courses ranging
from astronomy to African-American literature. A
tuition-
free program, Breakthrough's classes are rigorous and
small (a maximum 7:1 student to teacher ratio) and full
participation is expected of every student.
Breakthrough was founded in San Francisco in 1978 as
Summerbridge and serves more than 2,000 middle
school students and employs 700 college and high
school students in 25 locations across the U.S.
(Deadline: March 6, 2006)
INROADS
INROADS is an organization that seeks to
increase business career opportunities and knowledge
for the best and brightest young people of color, while
giving corporations the opportunity to develop diverse
managerial talent. In response to the growing demand
from business for talented, qualified people of color,
INROADS was established to identify interested,
capable high school students of color entering college
or university to pursue business, engineering, and
technical careers.
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational
Fund (MALDEF) List of Scholarships for ALL Students
(Regardless of Immigration Status)
This list of scholarships covers a variety of interest
areas and student populations. They do not require a
social security number, legal residency, or citizenship in
order to apply. As a general rule, if an application asks
for your social security number and you do not have
one yet, leave that space blank but still fill out and
turn in the application. Contact each scholarship
provider for applications and details about updated
requirements and deadlines. (Note: You must have
Acrobat Reader on your computer to download the list)
ASPIRA's Searchable Database
Check out the the left side menu on this website to
access this search engine for a wealth of information
about scholarships, fellowships, internships and
financial aid at no cost to the user.
Scholarships for Hispanics
also maintains an online database
here.
Don't forget to stay up-to-date on all upcoming
HSF
Scholarships by visiting the HSF
website...here.
Every fall, thousands of students apply to seek
admission to the top colleges and universities in the
nation. Among them are people from diverse
backgrounds, religions, and from geographical locations.
Yet In 2000, Hispanic students accounted for only
seven percent of students who enrolled at four-year
colleges and universities. Working as a Coordinator for
the Harvard Undergraduate Minority Recruitment
Program, I have realized that many Hispanic students,
despite the quality of education had, do not have the
resources, information, and support systems to be able
to compete with the thousands of students who apply
for few selective spots in an entering class.
For many students who find themselves in a similar
situation, it is important to take self intiative to seek
these resources. Some helpful tips when gathering your
application materials or preparing to apply in the future
are the following:
"No matter how tough it gets, I will never surrender," -
This has always been and continues to be Myra
Blanco's motto. Raised in Puerto Rico by her single
mother, a devoted nurse, Myra grew up amidst the
conservative Hispanic attitude of not expecting much
of a child from a divorced home. Against all odds, she
graduated from high school with a 4.0 GPA and was
accepted to every university to which she applied. Her
academic and career options altered drastically once
exposed to college, where her interest and academic
strength in engineering grew. Six years later, Myra
earned a Ph.D. in Human Factors Engineering. Not only
did she choose a field that is to this day dominated by
men, but she succeeded in it. Today, Myra Blanco,
Ph.D. is a research scientist at Virginia Tech
Transportation Institute and has been selected as
HSF's Brillante (rising star), for personifying limitless
potential.
