Scholarship America Presents Inaugural Irving Innovation Awards and Legacy Awards

Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday, November 12, Scholarship America proudly presented the inaugural Irving Innovation Awards as part of its annual gala, hosted at the Army & Navy Club in Washington, D.C. This special evening brought together a distinguished group of executives, philanthropists, and educational leaders to celebrate the transformative impact of Scholarship America’s programs and to honor scholarship sponsors for their excellence and innovative approaches.

Scholarship America is the nation’s largest administrator of scholarship programs, combining best-in-class service with a nonprofit mission. To recognize their commitment to advancing educational access, Scholarship America selected this year’s awardees based on significant enhancements made to their scholarship programs to foster greater inclusivity, accessibility, and community impact. These awards reflect the vision of organization founder Dr. Irving Fradkin, whose pioneering work in establishing community-based scholarships has grown into a nationwide movement.

The Irving Innovation Awards spotlight organizations that have reimagined what it means to support students—ensuring their initiatives not only provide financial aid but also create holistic opportunities for personal and professional growth. These efforts are making a profound difference, not just in the lives of individual students, but also in the communities and industries they touch.

Background

Irving Fradkin was born on March 28, 1921, in the Boston suburb of Chelsea. The second youngest child of Russian immigrants, he enrolled in the Massachusetts College of Optometry. Annual tuition was $300 then — two month’s pay for his bakery-owning father — who paid for his son’s education.

After years of hearing from patients who dreamed of college, but couldn’t afford it, Dr. Fradkin gathered his neighbors to initiate community scholarship fundraising. In May 1958, Dr. Fradkin’s vision became a reality, and the first Dollars for Scholars scholarships of $500 each were awarded to graduating Fall River seniors from local public and private schools.

Today, Scholarship America’s Dollars for Scholars is the nation’s most extensive grassroots scholarship program with chapters in 475 local communities, operated by 12,500 volunteers. The program’s first chapter is still hard at work in Fall River, nicknamed “Scholarship City” because of its role in America’s scholarship history.

Awardees

PepsiCo Foundation

The PepsiCo Foundation’s S.M.I.L.E. Scholarship program is designed to help students who have graduated from community colleges achieve their dream of attaining a 4-year baccalaureate degree. As part of the scholarship award, PepsiCo offers optional internships, mentorship opportunities with PepsiCo leaders, and quarterly S.M.I.L.E. scholars workshops to ensure recipients feel fully supported to achieve their educational goals.

Chick-fil-A

Each year, Chick-fil-A restaurant Team Members across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico are offered the opportunity to apply for college scholarships through the Chick-fil-A Remarkable Futures™ scholarship program. Since that time Chick-fil-A has been able to donate more than $191 million to help more than 105,000 Team Members pursue a higher education and achieve their remarkable future. Chick-fil-A extended their community service section of the application to include family support hours.  This includes providing care for family that is ill or uncompensated childcare or homeschool activities for their dependents.

Wells Fargo

Since 2017, Wells Fargo has proudly partnered with Scholarship America to award 253 renewable scholarships to students with disabilities, opening doors to new opportunities and fostering greater accessibility for all. Wells Fargo renamed their scholarship “The Stacey Milbern Scholarship” to honor Stacey Milbern, a Korean-American disability justice activist, who helped create the disability justice movement and advocated for fair treatment of disabled people.

Amazon

The Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship awards 400 high school seniors pursuing a computer science or engineering degree with scholarships up to $40,000, internship opportunities at Amazon, and more. Amazon offers paid internships to students who receive the Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship. These internships offer students the opportunity to build valuable experience even before they graduate.

Ancestry

Since 2022, Ancestry, the world’s largest family history company, has partnered with Scholarship America to support students through the Ancestry HistoryMakers Scholarship. For Ancestry, this initiative goes beyond financial aid; it’s about investing in future leaders, advancing equity in the STEM workforce, and empowering the next generation to forge their own paths. Ancestry’s impactful community program offers valuable internship opportunities to STEM students, reflecting the company’s strong commitment to empowering future leaders. Each fall, Ancestry employees join their HistoryMakers College Tour, connecting with students from Historically Black Colleges & Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges & Universities.

Equitable Foundation

Equitable Excellence Scholarship places an emphasis on empowering students’ future plans so that they can continue to have positive impacts in their community. Equitable has provides $5000 annual scholarships that are renewed to award recipients each academic year for four years. Equitable Excellence empowers first-generation and low-income students in their pursuit of a bachelor’s degree. Through meaningful partnerships with community-based organizations, their work foster economic mobility and creates opportunities that uplift and inspire students to achieve their dreams.

nVent

Since 2015, nVent and Scholarship America have partnered to offer renewable scholarships to nVent’s employees’ children across the globe. Since the program’s inception, 453 awards have been granted, totaling almost $1.5 million in student support.  To be more inclusive of their employees’ families residing outside of the U.S., nVent agreed to remove the online recommendation and replace the traditional “Work Experience” selection criteria with “Home Responsibilities” instead. Many international students need to contribute to their family’s household duties and responsibilities instead of obtaining paid employment, so these design changes were identified as ways to make the program more equitable for these students.

United Health Foundation

Since 2022, the United Health Foundation has proudly awarded scholarships to 1,297 BIPOC healthcare professionals, empowering them to upskill with a focus on maternal medicine and mental health. Together, the United Health Foundation and Scholarship America are fostering growth, representation, and equity in healthcare, ensuring a brighter, healthier future for all communities. The United Health Foundation is receiving an award after promoting their scholarships using an innovation approach. By partnering with social media influencers, The United Health Foundation met students where they are and engaged with their population in an authentic and creative way.

Dollars for Scholars Fradkin Legacy Awards

Our founder, Dr. Irving Fradkin, envisioned community support for college as a powerful force when he launched the Dollars for Scholars program in 1958. Today, his vision and legacy continue to inspire us at Scholarship America, where we proudly fund awards in Dr. Fradkin’s name to support the impactful efforts of Dollars for Scholars in providing scholarships and additional student assistance.

$2,500 Impactful Scholarship Award

Temecula Dollars for Scholars in Temecula, CA, and Worcester Latino Dollars for Scholars in Worcester, MA
Temecula Dollars for Scholars plans to enhance the amount of their scholarships to attract more applicants, while Worcester Latino Dollars for Scholars will increase their scholarship amounts for current college students from $600 to $1,000. As they celebrate their 30th anniversary, Worcester Latino aims to inspire current donors to amplify their support for successful college students.

$10,000 Renewable Scholarship Award

South Dearborn Dollars for Scholars in Aurora, IN
Currently offering up to 20 one-year Challenge Scholarships for South Dearborn graduates in their 2nd, 3rd, and 4th years of college or trade school with unmet financial needs, they will use this award to transition to a program that provides five renewable scholarships annually. Their long-term goal is to establish permanent endowments to continue to fund these scholarships.

$15,000 Student Support Award

Coalition of Dollars for Scholars chapters in Putnam County, Indiana: Cloverdale Community Dollars for Scholars, Greencastle Alumni Dollars for Scholars, North Putnam Alumni Association Dollars for Scholars, and South Putnam Dollars for Scholars
These chapters previously collaborated on successful Farm to Fork Fundraising Dinners, and now they will use this award to implement a three-pronged approach that engages parents, students, and the community in promoting student success.