Minority Scholarships for Women: 25 Absolutely Excellent Awards

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Scholarships for Minority Women

group of minority women supporting each other

Minority women face a lot of challenges in accessing higher education and career opportunities due to gender and racial discrimination. In 2019, the poverty rate for African American women was 22.5 percent, 19.4 percent for Latinas, and 24.6 percent for Native women, which was higher than the U.S. poverty rate of 10.5 percent. Minority scholarships for women are an important way to support and empower women from underrepresented backgrounds.

These scholarships can help them overcome some of these challenges by providing financial assistance to pursue their educational goals. Not only do they ensure that the voices of women from diverse cultural and ethnic groups are heard, and their perspectives are represented in the classroom, but they also help break down barriers to entry for those who may not have the same resources or opportunities as others.

Here are 25 scholarships exclusively for minority women.

Minority Scholarships for Women


Bertha Parker Cody Award for Native American Women

  • Award: $4,000
  • Deadline: Jan. 31st

Eligibility: All Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women, including gender non-conforming individuals, who are undergraduate or graduate students in the fields of archaeology and museum studies, are eligible for this award.

Submit: Completed application form, 2 letters of recommendation, personal statement of no more than 2 pages, an itemized budget, and documentation of Native American, Alaskan Native, or Native Hawaiian identity.

Dr. Gussie M. Ware Memorial Scholarship

  • Award: Amount Varies
  • Deadline: Feb. 1st

Eligibility: Applicant must be a black female; a graduating high school senior or GED recipient starting post-secondary education for the first time; have a current GPA of at least 2.5/4.0; and have a permanent address in Winnebago County, Illinois OR is a relative of Dr. Gussie M. Ware.

Submit: Online application.

She Rose in STEAM Scholarship

  • Award: $500
  • Deadline: Feb. 1st

Eligibility: Any female BIPOC high school or undergraduate student who has at least a 3.0 GPA and is pursuing a degree in STEAM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Art, or Mathematics) and/or medical illustration, medical journalism, etc., may apply for this scholarship.

Submit: 400 – 600 word essay.

EmPowered Women Scholarship

  • Award: $750
  • Deadline: Feb. 15th

Eligibility: Any female high school senior or undergraduate who is a BIPOC first-generation college student, has non-profit or volunteering experience, and is pursuing accounting or finance may apply for this scholarship.

Submit: 400 – 600 word essay on a time when one of your ideas or beliefs was challenged.

Hester Richardson Powell Memorial Service Scholarship

  • Award: $500
  • Deadline: Feb. 28th

Eligibility: Any female African American high school senior who has at least a 2.7 GPA may apply for this scholarship.

Submit: 400 – 600 word essay on how you’ve demonstrated resilience to inspire someone else.

Abhi Khune Underrepresented Minorities Scholarship

  • Award: $2,000
  • Deadline: Mar. 1st

Eligibility: Open to African American women who are seeking an undergraduate degree in computer science, computer engineering, data science, or computer information sciences.

Submit: 400 – 600 word essay with a little bit about yourself, what motivated you to pursue this degree path, and how you plan to make a positive impact on the world.

Elvira Alonso Soto Hispanic Women in Architecture Scholarship

  • Award: $9,325
  • Deadline: Mar. 14th

Eligibility: Must be female, Hispanic, and studying architecture.

Submit: 400 – 600 word essay.

Mission North The Future Is… Fellowship

  • Award: $16,000 + $6,000 stipend
  • Deadline: Mar. 17th

Eligibility: Applicants must be a female identifying BIPOC; a rising junior or senior; a full-time undergraduate student at an accredited college or university; have a 2.5 GPA or higher; and pursuing a major in public relations, marketing, and communications, digital marketing and design, and/or tech-marketing.

Submit: Online application, resume, and a personal statement of up to 250 words on: What are your career goals, how would this experience serve you, and what do you seek to gain from this experience?

Women of Color in Tech Scholarship

  • Award: $10,000
  • Deadline: Mar. 31st

Eligibility: Open to high school seniors and undergraduate women who are Black, Latina, and/or Native and are currently pursuing or have completed a computing related degree. A Scholly subscription is not required to apply for this scholarship.

Submit: Unofficial transcript, letter of recommendation, and completed application (submit via email) with a 300 word essay.

Chicana Latina Foundation Scholarship

  • Award: $1,500
  • Deadline: Mar. 31st

Eligibility: Open to community college, undergraduate, and graduate students. Applicants must self-identify as a Chicana and/or Latina; have lived at least two (2) years in one of the above Northern California counties at the time of application; and be enrolled in an accredited college, university, or community college in one of the following California counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, Sacramento, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, San Francisco, Sonoma, or Yolo.

Submit: Unofficial or official transcript, letter of recommendation, and completed online application.

Sherelle T. and Timothy T. Carper III Scholarship

  • Award: $500 – $1,000
  • Deadline: Mar. 31st

Eligibility: Open to African American single mothers (age 18-30). Must be a United States citizen; enrolled in an accredited college/university; and majoring in a STEM, Aviation, Political Science, Communications, or Business Management related field.

Submit: Unofficial transcript, letter of recommendation, and completed application (submit via email) with a 300 word essay.

Dr. Julianne Malveaux Scholarship

  • Award: $500 – $1,000
  • Deadline: Mar. 31st

Eligibility: Must be African American; female; a college sophomore or junior enrolled at a college or university; a United States citizen; have a 3.0 GPA or higher; and majoring in journalism, economic or related field (public policy, creative writing, etc.).

Submit: Unofficial transcript, letter of recommendation, and completed application (submit via email) with a 500 word essay.

The Dr. Blanca Moore-Velez Woman of Substance Scholarship

  • Award: $500 – $1,000
  • Deadline: Mar. 31st

Eligibility: Must be African American; female; age 35+; have a 3.0 GPA or higher; and a United States Citizen.

Submit: Unofficial transcript, letter of recommendation, and completed application (submit via email) with a 300 word essay.

Yan Scholarship

  • Award: $1,000
  • Deadline: April 1st

Eligibility: Any first-generation, female high school or undergraduate student who is an immigrant may apply for this scholarship, but immigrants who are 25 years or older and came to the U.S. after age 18 are preferred.

Submit: 100 – 500 word essay on what motivated you to go to college and pursue your education.

Kynnedy Simone ‘I Am The Dream’ Scholarship

  • Award: $500
  • Deadline: April 15th

Eligibility: Open to African American female high school seniors with a 2.5 GPA or higher who are planning to enroll in a two or four year undergraduate program or trade/vocational program beginning Summer 2023 or Fall 2023. Applicants must have volunteer or community service experience to apply for this scholarship.

Submit: 100 – 450 word essay on your community service experience, school and extracurricular activities, and any additional information you would like to share.

Ashton Washington Women of Color Annual Scholarship

  • Award: $1,000
  • Deadline: April 31st

Eligibility: The recipient must be a woman of color currently enrolled as a senior in any high school in the state of Mississippi and have a 2.5 GPA or higher. Must also plan to attend a HBCU in the state of Mississippi.

Submit: A video presentation no longer than 2 minutes and 20 seconds answering the following question: What does the line “I come as one, but I stand as 10,000” from Maya Angelou’s poem “Our Grandmothers,” mean to you?

Jeannette Rankin Foundation Native Woman Scholar Grant

  • Award: $2,500
  • Deadline: May – awarded on a first-come, first-served basis

Eligibility: Open to women and nonbinary students at Montana Tribal Colleges who are 25 and older, demonstrate financial need, are pursuing a technical or vocational education, an associate’s degree, or a first bachelor’s degree, and can show proof of enrollment in a Montana Tribal College, Tribal affiliation and Pell/SNAP eligibility.

Submit: Online application.

Luisa de Vera Buena Memorial Scholarship

  • Award: $1,000
  • Deadline: May 15th

Eligibility: Any Filipino woman who is pursuing a four-year undergraduate degree may apply for this scholarship.

Submit: 400 – 600 word essay on how your Filipino background has influenced your life and career choices.

She Rose Initiative’s “More Than a Conqueror” Scholarship

  • Award: $500
  • Deadline: May 22nd

Eligibility: Any female African American undergraduate or graduate student with a minimum 3.0 GPA who is pursuing STEM, healthcare, public health, or medicine may apply if she has been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.

Submit: 400 – 600 word essay.

AFCEA Undergraduate Diversity Scholarship

  • Award: $3,000
  • Deadline: May 31st

Eligibility: Undergraduate candidates must be at least second-year college students enrolled as sophomores or juniors full-time in a four-year college or university at the time of application. Online programs are eligible. Must have a 3.0 GPA or higher, majoring in a STEM field, and be a woman or minority.

Submit: Online application, official transcript, and 2 letters of recommendation.

Ralph W. Shrader Graduate Diversity Scholarship

  • Award: $3,000
  • Deadline: May 31st

Eligibility: Open to women and minority graduate-level students majoring in a STEM field with a 3.5 GPA or higher. Must currently be enrolled in their second semester and at least two semester-equivalent courses per semester at an accredited college or university in the United States at the time of application.

Submit: Online application, current official transcript, current resume, 2 letters of recommendation, and unofficial or official undergraduate transcript.

Fuerza y Ganas Scholarship

  • Award: $500
  • Deadline: June 1st

Eligibility: Any first-generation, female-identifying high school or undergraduate student from a Latina or Hispanic background who is pursuing the medical field may apply for this scholarship.

Submit: 400 – 600 word essay on what inspired you to pursue a career in medicine and how you plan to give back to the Hispanic community in the future.

NWSA Women of Color Award

  • Award: $500
  • Deadline: June 1st

Eligibility: Open to women of color who are current individual NWSA members and currently enrolled in a graduate or professional program. Recent recipients of a terminal degree (no later than May 2022) are also eligible to apply.

Submit: Completed online application and an essay that does not exceed 12,000 words.

Geoscience IDEA Scholarship

  • Award: up to $5,000
  • Deadline: June 30th

Eligibility: Applicants must be a female, or female-identifying person, who is an undergraduate-level student or a
high school senior entering college; Have declared Geoscience or Earth Science as a major of study; and identify in one or more historically marginalized or underserved communities, including but not limited to: Black/African-American, Indigenous/Native-America, Latin/Hispanic, Asian/Asian-American, LGBTQIA+, or living with disabilities.

Submit: Online application and 2 letters of recommendation.

AMWA Underrepresented Students in Medicine Scholarship

  • Award: $2,000
  • Deadline: Aug. 31st

Eligibility: Applicants must have a Medical Student Membership to the American Medical Women’s Association. Open to students who belong to racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population.

Submit: Completed application and letter of recommendation.

 

 

Women’s Minority Scholarships Recap Table

ScholarshipAwardDeadline
Bertha Parker Cody Award for Native American Women$4,000Jan. 31st
Dr. Gussie M. Ware Memorial ScholarshipAmount VariesFeb. 1st
She Rose in STEAM Scholarship$500Feb. 1st
EmPowered Women Scholarship$750Feb. 15th
Hester Richardson Powell Memorial Service Scholarship$500Feb. 28th
Abhi Khune Underrepresented Minorities Scholarship$2,000Mar. 1st
Elvira Alonso Soto Hispanic Women in Architecture Scholarship$9,325Mar. 14th
Mission North The Future Is… Fellowship$16,000 + $6,000 stipendMar. 17th
Women of Color in Tech Scholarship$10,000Mar. 31st
Sherelle T. and Timothy T. Carper III Scholarship$500 - $1,000Mar. 31st
Dr. Julianne Malveaux Scholarship$500 - $1,000Mar. 31st
The Dr. Blanca Moore-Velez Woman of Substance Scholarship$500 - $1,000Mar. 31st
Chicana Latina Foundation Scholarship Program$1,500Mar. 31st
Yan Scholarship$1,000April 1st
Kynnedy Simone 'I Am The Dream' Scholarship$500April 15th
Ashton Washington Women of Color Annual Scholarship$1,000April 31st
Jeannette Rankin Foundation Native Woman Scholar Grant$2,500May - awarded on a first-come, first-served basis
Luisa de Vera Buena Memorial Scholarship$1,000May 15th
She Rose Initiative's "More Than a Conqueror" Scholarship$500May 22nd
AFCEA Undergraduate Diversity Scholarship$3,000May 31st
Ralph W. Shrader Graduate Diversity Scholarship$3,000May 31st
Fuerza y Ganas Scholarship$500June 1st
NWSA Women of Color Award$500June 1st
Traub-Dicker Rainbow Scholarship$4,000June 10th
Geoscience IDEA Scholarshipup to $5,000June 30th
AMWA Underrepresented Students in Medicine Scholarship$2,000Aug. 31st

 


group of female hands from different minority and ethnic backgrounds joining together

Conclusions on scholarships for women of color

By providing minority scholarships for women, organizations are helping to create an equitable environment where all women have access to the same opportunities regardless of race or ethnicity. These scholarships serve as a means of increasing diversity in higher education, which is important for creating a more inclusive society.

Not only do these scholarships provide financial assistance, but they also give recipients a sense of belonging as they join a community of like-minded individuals from similar backgrounds. Furthermore, these scholarships can help minority women follow their dreams, allowing them to develop the skills and gain the knowledge they need to be successful in their chosen fields.

Know of any other scholarships for minority women that we can add to this list? Leave a comment below!

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