Sapphire Fund Scholarships for LGBT

The Sapphire Fund works with the Independence Business Alliance Scholarships (IBA) Program to offer LGBT scholarships to those within the LGBT community.

Sapphire scholarships for LGBT
Sapphire Fund Scholarships

If you are a member or a supporter of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender community, you may be eligible for the Sapphire Fund Scholarships Program to help finance your education. The Sapphire Fund works with the Independence Business Alliance Scholarship (IBA) Program to offer LGBT scholarships to those within the LGBT community for further education.

Founded in 2002, the Sapphire Fund is considered to be fairly new. In spite of the fact that the organization is still fairly new, the organization is able to offer a LGBT scholarship program. The organization is based in Philadelphia, and exists to serve the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community in that area, as well as supporters of that community. The organization also contributes vastly to HIV/AIDS research, education, prevention, and treatment. Although the fund was established in 2002, it is an extension of the Blue Ball Fundraising event, which began in 1991 and is still held annually.

The amount of the LGBT scholarships offered through the Sapphire Fund is $1000, but multiple gay scholarships may be awarded each year. The award funds can be used to pay for tuition, books, supplies, or room and board. In most cases, the funds are paid directly to the school that you will be attending, but in some cases, the funds will be dispersed directly to you, although the committee prefers disbursement to the school.

In addition to the Sapphire Fund Scholarship for LGBT Program that works in conjunction with the Independence Business Alliance Scholarship Program (IBA Scholarships), you may also apply for the Tony Sparacino Memorial Scholarship through the Sapphire Fund, which is awarded annually in the amount of $1000. The deadline for this gay scholarship is in late June each year.

In order to be eligible, you must be a self identified member of the LGBT community or a supporter of the community. You must also be enrolled as a fulltime student at an accredited college or university in the Philadelphia area.

Because the LGBT scholarships program is in partnership with the Independence Business Alliance Scholarship Program, you must additionally be working towards a degree in a business program. This could include students who are majoring in Business Management, Economics, Accounting, Finance, Organizational Dynamics or Development, Leadership, or Entrepreneurship.

The deadline for applying for the Sapphire Fund Scholarships for LGBT occurs each year in June, but the announcement of winners is not made until September, when a presentation ceremony is held. The awards for the Sapphire Fund Scholarships Program and the Tony Sparacino Memorial Scholarship are presented at the same event each year. You must apply for each scholarship separately if you are eligible for both and wish to compete for both, and there is no indication from the Sapphire Fund that you cannot win both awards.

LGBT Scholarships and Grants from Astraea

Astraea sponsors very important LGBT scholarships and grants for individuals and other organizations that are a part of the LGBT Community for college students.

LGBT college scholarships and grants from Astraea
Astraea Scholarships/Grants

If you are a member of the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, and Transgender Community, or LGBT, and you are seeking an education, you need to know about the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice. This is an organization that also sponsors very important LGBT scholarships and grants for individuals and other organizations that are a part of the LGBT Community.

The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice began in 1977, and was mostly comprised of women from a vast array of diversity from around the world. While the program was not designed or implemented to help individuals, it was founded to help other organizations that work to help individuals, and while the initial scope was lesbian women, the foundation now helps organizations that serve people of all sexes that are a part of the gay and lesbian community.

LGBT Grants and scholarships that are available through Astraea include the Fund for Sexual Minorities, the US Fund Panel Grants, the Margot Karle Scholarship Fund, the Astraea Visual Arts Fund, and the Lesbian Writers Fund. The Fund for Sexual Minorities has no deadline for applying, and required documents are accepted year round. This fund is not for individuals, but for other organizations, and can be awarded in varying amounts up to $10,000. The same is true for the US Fund Panel Grants, with the exception that it is only available to organizations based in the United States.

The Margot Karle Scholarship Fund, the Astraea Visual Arts Fund, and the Lebian Writers Fund are all awarded to individuals. The deadline for the Margot Karle Scholarship fund occurs in early September of each year, and notification of awards is made in December of each year. This LGBT scholarship is awarded to undergraduate women who are attending the City University of New York. The amount of this award is unspecified, and depends on how much is available in the fund.

The Astraea Visual Arts Fund also has a deadline that occurs in early September each year with notifications made in December. Applicants must reside in the United States, and this award is made to a visual arts contemporary lesbian each year. Each year, three grants are awarded in the amount of $2500 each.

The Lesbian Writers Fund award is made to lesbian poets and lesbian fiction writers who reside in the United States, and the deadline for applying occurs in July of each year. This fund awards twelve women, for a total amount of $26,600 each year. Like the Astaea Visual Arts Fund, the awards are considered to be lesbian grants, as opposed to lesbian scholarships or loans.

It is important to note that to be eligible for any three of these programs, you must be attending City University of New York, or you must be pursuing an education or career in visual arts or writing – and most scholarships are made to Lesbians, but may be made to other members of the LGBT community.