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.
