Programs
At the heart of EAF’s commitment is the idea that academic excellence comes in many forms. There are three ways in which the Foundation carries out its mission: Academic Scholarships, Fellowships and Community Assistance Awards.
In 2008, EAF awarded more than $107,600 in scholarships to 108 students and 19 additional awards totaling almost $128,300 in categories that included Community Assistance Awards and Youth P.A.C. awards.
Academic Scholarships
Scholarships are the primary means by which EAF carries out its mission. The Foundation awards Merit, Financial Need and Youth Partners Accessing Capital (P.A.C.) scholarships.
Merit
Awards ranging from $750 to $2,500 to undergraduate and graduate students who excel academically.
Merit Scholarship Eligibility
To be eligible for this one-year one-time only scholarship, the applicant must:
- Be a full-time, sophomore or beyond;
- Be currently enrolled in an accredited degree-granting institution;
- Have a minimum GPA of 3.0 ("B" average);
- Demonstrate community service and involvement.
Merit Scholarship applications and supporting documents for Undergraduate students had a postmark deadline of April 15, 2009. Awards will be announced by August 2009. Graduate student applications and supporting documents must be postmarked by August 15, 2009. [Click here for application] Awards will be announced by December 2009.
Financial Need
Awards ranging from $750 to $2,500 to undergraduate and graduate students with good academic standing who have endured great hardship to accomplish their educational goals.
Financial Need Scholarship Eligibility
To be eligible for this one-year one-time only award, the applicant must:
- Be a full-time, sophomore or beyond;
- Be currently enrolled in an accredited degree-granting institution;
- Have a minimum GPA of 2.5 ("C+" average);
- Demonstrate community service and involvement.
Financial need scholarship applications and supporting documents for Undergraduate students had a postmark deadline of April 15, 2009. Awards will be announced by August 2009. Graduate student applications and supporting documents must be postmarked by August 15, 2009. [Click here for application] Awards will be announced by December 2009.
Youth Partners Accessing Capital (P.A.C.)
Administered by and for undergraduates, award amounts range from $750 to $1,500.
Eligibility:
- Be a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
- Be at least a college sophomore
- Have a minimum 3.0 GPA
- Demonstrate exceptional academic achievement or extreme financial need
- Participate in leadership, volunteer, civic or campus activities
Youth P.A.C. scholarship applications and supporting documents had a postmark deadline of April 15, 2009. Awards will be announced by August 2009. Supporting documents for Youth P.A.C. Service Awards must be postmarked by August 15, 2009. [Click here for application]
Fellowships
Added to EAF’s array of programs in 1995, fellowships do not require enrollment in an academic institution. These awards help to improve the quality of life of others by funding research and projects with practical applications.
Foundation fellowships have been awarded to individuals for a wide range of purposes, from assistance in finding non-violent solutions to human disputes to conducting research on hypertension and the impact of nuclear testing on marine life.
EAF awards two fellowships, during even-numbered years:
The Helen Cromer Cooper Fellowship for Non-Violent Alternatives to Conflict – earmarked to support individuals and projects involved in finding non-violent solutions to human problems. The 2008 recipient was Regina Randall, Australasian College of Natural Therapies, Big Lake, AL.
Dr. Dorri Phipps Fellowship – for students pursuing degrees in medicine or research pertaining to lupus.
[Fellowship applications for 2010 will be available November 2009. To learn more about establishing fellowships, click here.]
Community Assistance Awards
Community Assistance Awards are awarded to assist individuals and organizations for a specific civic, educational or human service program or project.
Some of the projects that receive funding involve partnerships with longstanding service organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, the American Red Cross and the American Kidney Foundation. Others empower service-minded individuals and organizations at the local level by supporting everything from homeless children in Dayton, OH to an English proficiency program for immigrants in Chicago IL. Foundation grants have also underwritten scores of advanced mathematics and science programs and camps for middle school students from South Central Los Angeles to Shreveport, LA.
One of our most unusual grants was to Yei Diocese in Sudan to provide room and board, tuition and fees for ten Sudanese orphan girls to attend boarding school. “I was kind of surprised because we rarely get grants from the United States,” said Father Damian Aduga, who applied for the grant. “Most of our grants come from Europe, so it was really something that the Foundation had gone outside of its scope to help in Africa.”
Because they support initiatives designed and implemented by individuals who know their community’s needs best, Community Assistance Awards help leverage funds in a manner that does the most good.
Eligible projects must address one of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s economic program platforms.
Community Assistance Award applications, which are available on this site [click here], and supporting documents must be postmarked by August 15, 2009. Awards will be announced by December 2009.
Please return all applications and any required supporting documentation to:
AKA-EAF
5656 South Stony Island
Chicago, IL 60637
ATTN: Scholarship Application Enclosed
