Vanguard Scholarship for Democracy, Justice and Social Change
Honoring Stacey Abrams’s enduring impact as a champion for democracy, voting rights, equity, and climate reform, The Vanguard Scholarship empowers the next generation of women to lead the charge.
Vanguard Scholarship for Democracy, Justice and Social Change
The program is administered by Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarships and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Eligibility for individual programs is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsors and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America’s evaluation team.
Eligibility
Applicants to the Vanguard Scholarship for Democracy, Justice and Social Change must:
- Be current college undergraduates or graduate-level students
- Be female
- Be enrolled in full-time undergraduate or graduate study at an accredited four-year college, university or graduate school for the entire upcoming academic year
- Be pursuing a degree in Civic Engagement & Public Service, Law, Rights & Social Justice, Health, Equity and Community Wellbeing, or Environment, Climate & Sustainability. A list of majors can be found here
- Have a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale (or its equivalent)
NOTE: These degree categories are broad. Please refer to the Vanguard informational page (link above) for the full list of qualifying fields and majors.
Awards
Award distribution is to be determined based on the amount in the fund at the time of the program deadline. Each recipient will be granted a minimum of $4,000. The number of recipients will be based on the applicant pool and the fund amount available.
Awards are for undergraduate and graduate study only.
Awards can be used for any education-related expenses.
The Sponsors may contact recipients for purposes of event invitations, marketing, and/or other opportunities.
Recipients will gain access to a national mentorship network of civic leaders, policymakers, environmental advocates, and social justice activists.
Recipients will be requested to create and implement a Community Impact Project with the support of their mentor from the network.
Notification
All applicants will be notified in late May.
Notifications are sent via email. When setting up your account, avoid using a school or work email. Instead, use an active, personal email address that you will continue to have access to.
Please make sure to add studentsupport@scholarshipamerica.org as well as the program email address as safe senders in your email contact list.
Payment of Scholarships
Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of the Sponsors. Payments are made in August.
Selection of Recipients
Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of:
- Academic performance
- Demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities
- Work experience
- A statement of educational and career goals and objectives
- Unusual personal or family circumstances
- a 750-1,000 word essay* (the use of AI is prohibited, do not use AI to assist you in your writing)
- Two online recommendations
*The essay will need to address all of the following prompts:
- Leadership Journey & Personal Story: Describe the experiences that have shaped your leadership path. Have you, your family or your community faced systemic inequities or injustices? How have these experiences influenced your values, resilience, and drive to create change?
- Commitment & Motivation: Explain what inspires you to pursue your chosen field of study. How does your academic focus connect to the values of democracy, justice, equity, or sustainability?
- Long-Term Trajectory: Share your long-term academic and career goals. How do you envision building on your studies to advance systemic change and contribute to a more just, equitable, and sustainable future?
The Essay will be evaluated on authenticity, clarity of motivation, evidence of leadership, and commitment to advancing the mission of the scholarship.
Financial need is considered, but all qualifying students are welcome to apply.
Not all applicants to the program will be selected as recipients.
Students may reapply to the program each year they meet eligibility requirements.
All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.
Requirements
As part of your application, you must upload the following:
- A current, complete transcript of grades for all your undergraduate and graduate coursework. Grade reports are not accepted. Transcripts must display:
- Student name
- School name
- Grades
- Credit hours for each course and term in which each course was taken.
NOTE: If you are a freshman undergraduate and are providing SAT or ACT test scores, and those scores are not listed on your high school transcript, you will need to upload a copy of your test score report(s) separately. If you are uploading a college transcript, those scores are not required. A high school transcript and test scores should ONLY be provided if you are a freshman undergraduate and you do not yet have your undergraduate transcript of grades available.
Two online recommendation form must be submitted on your behalf no later than three business days after the application deadline.
Your application is not complete unless all required materials are submitted electronically.
