Understanding Davis-Putter Scholarship Fund Eligibility

The Davis-Putter Scholarship Fund offers financial assistance to students deeply involved in progressive movements. These movements champion liberation, self-determination, and social and economic justice within their communities. This article will explore the eligibility requirements, application process, and key considerations for prospective applicants.

Overview of the Davis-Putter Scholarship Fund

The Davis-Putter Scholarship Fund provides need-based grants to student activists engaged in movements for social and economic justice. These scholarships support students undertaking academic work at the college or university level, or those enrolled in trade or technical programs. Recipients are actively involved in the progressive movement. Early beneficiaries of this fund were instrumental in the fight for civil rights, stood against McCarthyism, and advocated for peace during the Vietnam War. The fund continues to support students dedicated to creating a more just and equitable world.

Core Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for the Davis-Putter Scholarship, applicants must meet several key criteria:

Involvement in Progressive Social Change Movements: Applicants must be actively involved in movements for progressive social change.
Enrollment in a Degree or Certificate Program: Applicants must have applied to or be currently enrolled in a degree or certificate program at a college, university, or trade/technical school.
Demonstrated Financial Need: Applicants must demonstrate financial need.

If an applicant does not meet these requirements, they will not qualify for the scholarship.

Defining Involvement in Progressive Social Change

The Fund seeks to support individuals working toward self-determination for all oppressed people. Grantees are involved in work that potentially undermines the US empire. This work is characterized by opposition to:

Read also: Davis v. Monroe: Key Takeaways

Capitalism
Racism/White Supremacy
Hetero Patriarchy and Gender-Based Violence
Environmental Exploitation
Other forms of Systemic Harm and Oppression

The Fund values the labor and leadership required to sustain and grow movements. This includes public-facing work, behind-the-scenes efforts to make actions and meetings possible, and team building and conflict transformation within groups. The Fund seeks to support the development of active and emerging movement leaders, recognizing that not everyone has access to the same resources and networks. It particularly encourages applications from under-resourced regions, rural communities, and students outside of major cities.

Enrollment Criteria

Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited trade or technical school, community college, college, or university. This includes both undergraduate and graduate students. The scholarship supports day-to-day educational and living expenses.

Assessing Financial Need

The Davis-Putter Scholarship Fund is a need-based scholarship. It prioritizes applicants who do not come from economic privilege and have limited to no access to familial wealth. The fund recognizes that financial need is high for every student.

Grant Details

The maximum grant available from the Davis-Putter Scholarship Fund is \$15,000 per year. The average grant for 2023-24 was \$7,500. Grants are disbursed over each separate semester, quarter, or term during which the grantee is attending school. Grants must be used in the year they are awarded and cannot be deferred or carried over. Students can be granted more than once. Recipients who have previously received a grant must reapply each year support is sought.

Application Process

Applications are available online from January until April 1 each year. The application requires completion of all sections, including:

Short essay questions
Most recent transcripts (unofficial is acceptable)
Two letters of recommendation
Complete financial information

The application deadline is midnight EST, April 1. Before completing the application, applicants should read the instructions and the answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs).

Additional Eligibility Considerations

Although citizenship is not a consideration, applicants must be living in the United States and planning to enroll in an accredited program in the US in order to apply. The Fund provides need-based grants to students enrolled in an accredited trade or technical school, community college, college, or university who are actively working toward liberation, justice and social change in their communities. This is a scholarship to support day-to-day educational and living expenses.

Examples of Supported Activities

Recent grantees have been active in:

The struggle against racism, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of oppression
Building the movement for economic justice
Creating peace through international anti-imperialist solidarity

tags: #davis #putter #scholarship #fund #eligibility