The American Architectural Foundation offers the Minority/Disadvantaged Scholarships in order to encourage diversity and equity in the architectural profession. These scholarships are open to high school seniors and college freshmen who plan to study architecture at a NAAB-accredited program. The scholarship program was established in 1970 by a grant from the Ford Foundation to aid students who would not otherwise have an opportunity to enter a professional degree program. Twenty awards are made per year and may be renewed for two additional years, ideally maintaining 60 students in the program in any given year. Scholarship amounts range between $500 and $2,500 and are determined by evaluation of financial need information provided by the student and the school.
The application process has two parts: an initial nomination by a high school guidance counselor, architect, or other individual who is aware of the student’s interest and aptitude for architecture, and an application which is sent to eligible students after nominations are reviewed. The nomination form is due in the first week of December and the application, an essay, statement of disadvantaged circumstances, letters of recommendations, transcripts and a drawing are due on January 15 of each year. For further information contact Catherine Roussel, AIA, at The American Institute of Architects: 202.626.7417 or croussel@aia.org.
Please note: The nomination and application forms will be revised for 2009-10 applications. Please check this web page for updates in September.
