SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM DETAILS

In June of 2004, two Phoenix LGBT nonprofit organizations, Phoenix Pride and the Camelback Business and Professional Association, joined forces to create a scholarship endowment fund for LGBT youth in the metropolitan Phoenix area. The name of this endowment has come to be known as the PRIDE Scholarship Fund. Phoenix Pride and other individuals & organizations in the community have continuously made contributions to the endowment since its inception. The Pride Scholarship Program was later established to become an umbrella program over this fund, other existing community scholarships, and to expand into additional scholarship opportunities for the LGBT community.

The Arizona Community Foundation (ACF) professionally manages and assists in developing endowment funds for the program, thereby ensuring long-term support for academic scholarships for local LGBT youth.

Individuals, organizations, businesses or foundations are encouraged to make donations through Phoenix Pride to support the efforts of the Pride Scholarship Program which currently has three areas:

PRIDE Scholarship Fund

This established endowment fund at ACF was able to award the first two scholarships in 2008 to qualified local LGBT youth pursuing secondary education in the metropolitan Phoenix area. The recipients of these awards also become eligible to renew their scholarships for three additional years. As the donations and endowment grow, the scholarships are scheduled to increase in total award amount and quantity of awards.

Community Scholarship Fund

Under the Community Scholarship Fund, any individual, business, organization or foundation can establish and create a scholarship under the existing Pride Scholarship Program. This allows for donors to establish a scholarship and/or endowment that corresponds with their personal passion. This area can be used by a donor to memorialize their donation as a distinct scholarship. The first such Community Scholarship was awarded to a student in 2009.

Outreach Scholarship Fund

These established annual scholarships are awarded to support the efforts of those organizations in the regional and international Pride community with less resources. Two scholarships are awarded annually to assist members in regional and international Pride organizations to meet with their peers at annual conventions. A third scholarship allows representatives from a country struggling with basic LGBT rights to attend and speak to our Celebration and participate in the Parade as a Grand Marshal. These scholarships create a cross-cultural exchange meant to enrich each organization and community involved, as well as to inspire our common battles for recognition and human rights, the focus of all LGBT Pride organizations.