Established in 1995, the Audre Lorde Scholarship Fund is administered by ZAMI and is the brainchild of its current board chair, Mary Anne Adams. The first two scholarships were awarded in 1997 and since that time, the fund has awarded 114 scholarships.

Deadline: April 30, 2008

Read our Frequently Asked Questions document (PDF)

Purpose of Awards

The Audre Lorde Scholarship Awards are designed to recognize out* lesbians, gay, bisexual and transgender students of color who are making significant contributions to their communities. ZAMI wants to support and encourage their continuing education by providing scholarships to those students enrolled in accredited technical, undergraduate and graduate programs. In 2007, the Fund awarded fourteen $1000 scholarships. For more information, see these pages or email audrelordescholarship@zami.org.

Eligibility

• An out lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender person of color who is a graduating high school senior or currently attending any technical, undergraduate or graduate school located in the United States
• Accepted or registered at a post-secondary educational institution for full or part-time attendance as defined by the institution.
• Cumulative high school/college/or technical school grade point average of 3.0 or higher
• Lesbians, gay men, bisexual and transgender persons 40 years and older are also strongly encouraged to apply

Please do not submit an application if you do not meet the eligibility requirements as your application will not be reviewed. No exceptions to the eligibility requirements are considered. The Fund does not offer scholarships for weekend programs, summer sessions, research, special projects, or for study out of the country.

Application Requirements

• Submit official/unofficial up- to- date academic transcript (s) supporting the GPA entered on your application. You may send transcripts only from your most recent school(s), provided two semesters of study are included. ,

• Acceptance letter if you are an entering freshman or transfer student.

• Completion of three of five essay questions outlined in the application.

• Do not combine answers. Each essay answer must be a page or more in length.
  

• Completed Scholarship Application Form
  PDF requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader plug-in, available free for download.

• Three letters of recommendations~ one must be from a teacher/ professor, who can attest to your academic capabilities, one must be from a supervisor/ mentor, and one from an activist/organizer in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community familiar with your involvement with LGBT organizations or activities. NO EXCEPTIONS!

• A recent photograph suitable for publication; i.e., a cap and gown picture, or other professional quality headshot photograph. We will only accept photographs by email. Application will not be accepted if a clean headshot is not enclosed. NO EXCEPTIONS!!!

• Award recipients are required to attend to attend the Audre Lorde Scholarship Awards Ceremony scheduled for September 26-28, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Awards

Scholarship Amount

$1,000- 3,000

Application Deadline

lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons of color interested in obtaining an application should download an application:

Scholarship Application Form

We cannot and do not mail applications.

All application materials must be postmarked by April 30, 2008 and mailed to:

ZAMI
P.O. Box 2502
Decatur, Georgia 30031

*It is also mandatory that you email one application package with the exception of transcripts and recommendation letters to zami@zami.org

We prefer that all application materials be mailed as one package. If the references or transcript(s) are mailed under separate cover, the student is responsible for making sure that we receive it on or before the deadline.

Incomplete or late applications will not be reviewed. (NO EXCEPTIONS)

We cannot confirm receipt of your application; therefore we recommend you use a delivery confirmation and tracking system, such as the USPS registered mail.

Awards are for the current academic year only and by law are paid directly to the academic institution. Please send proof of official registration to ZAMI at the beginning of the school year.

Checks not processed by the academic institution within 30 days of receipt will be rendered null and void by the Audre Lorde Scholarship Fund.

A scholarship committee reviews applications.

Finalists may be invited to participate in a face-to-face or telephone interview.

Early applications are encouraged. Recipients may re apply a total of two times to the scholarship fund.

Awardees will be notified on or before July 30, 2008.

NOTE: Award recipients are required to attend the Audre Lorde Scholarship Awards Ceremony scheduled for September 26-28, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia.

All expenses are paid by ZAMI.