Scholarships

Scholarship applications for 2024 are closed.

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Prism Foundation provides scholarships to empower outstanding students who are making a positive impact on the Asian & Pacific Islander and LGBTQIA+ communities.

Our scholarships range from $1000–$5000, and our portfolio of recipients have included both undergraduates and graduates across a spectrum of ages, gender identities, sexual orientation, racial and ethnic background, and more. We have funded artists, activists, researchers, lawyers, therapists, and hope to continue highlighting and empowering our student community.

Featured Scholarship Recipient

 

Emma Brockway
Attorney, Fisher & Phillips LLP

Emma Brockway grew up in Houston, Texas. She was a campus organizer for Texas Rising, an LGBTQ+ equality and social justice nonprofit and registered hundreds of voters on campus. Emma has also volunteered for Battleground Texas, Wendy Davis' 2014 campaign, and Beto O'Rourke's 2018 campaign. She won a scholarship from Prism Foundation in 2019. Now, she is now on the Board of Directors for the Texas Freedom Network and Prism Foundation.

"Encouraging LGBTQ+ students like me to pursue our roles is an investment in our representation in society in spaces where we have historically been told we do not belong."

 
 

Frequently Asked Questions

I. About

What is the Prism Foundation Scholarship?
The purpose of the Prism Foundation Scholarship is to celebrate and reward outstanding scholar activists who are making a positive impact on the API and LGBTQIA+ communities. 

How much is the Prism Foundation Scholarship?
The Prism Foundation Scholarship will range from $1000–$5000, and several scholarships are awarded in a calendar year.

II. Eligibility

What are the minimum eligibility requirements for this scholarship?
You must be attending an accredited post-secondary institution in the United States in the upcoming academic year (starting in the Fall of this current year) when applying. The application is open to students who attend community college, university, and trade/vocational school. Applicants should have a strong history of engagement within the API and/or LGBTQIA+ communities.

When are applications due?
Applications are due on Friday, July 12, 2024 at 11:59:59 PM PT. Late applications will not be considered.

I am an international student and/or not a U.S. citizen. Am I still able to apply?
Yes, as long as you are attending/enrolled in a U.S. accredited institution in the upcoming academic year. 

Can this scholarship be applied toward study abroad?
Yes, as long as your study abroad program is funded through your U.S. accredited institution. 

I am not Asian, South Asian, Pacific Islander, or LGBTQIA+. Am I still able to apply?
Yes, we welcome everyone to apply. However, the selection committee will consider an applicant’s self-identification with the API and/or LGBTQIA+ communities, as these groups are core to the foundation’s mission.

I have applied for a Prism Foundation scholarship in the past. Can I reapply?
Yes, past applicants may reapply. 

I have received a Prism Foundation scholarship in the past. Can I reapply?
Yes! Past Prism Foundation scholarship recipients are eligible to receive multiple scholarships over the course of their combined undergraduate and post-graduate education, up to a $10,000 cap in total funding. That said, every candidate application, regardless of whether they have received a scholarship in the past, will be evaluated equally, and their prior scholarship recipient status will remain undisclosed until the final portion of the deliberations process.

When will I know whether I am selected as a Prism Foundation Scholarship recipient?
We will notify all candidates the status of their application via email by early Fall 2024. 

If I am selected as a Prism Foundation Scholarship recipient, where will the check be sent to?
The check will be mailed directly to the financial aid office at your institution of learning that handles Outside Scholarships. 

III. Application Information

OK, sounds great. How do I apply?
Eligible candidates must complete an application form by answering short response questions, one essay prompt. 

They must also provide the following supporting documentation:

  • Current or most recent academic transcript(s), including cumulative undergrad transcripts if you’ve just started grad school.

  • One letter of recommendation highlighting your community engagement and/or leadership skills from someone who can speak to your abilities, such as a peer, colleague, teacher, school administrator, counselor, employer, or community leader.

    Note: If the person writing your letter of recommendation wishes to send it to us directly, they can upload it here.

Scholarship applications for 2024 are closed. Please check again next spring.

Is there anything else I should know about the application process?

  • If additional evaluation of candidates is necessary to determine final recipients, the scholarship committee may request a follow-up questionnaire or interview.

  • We will notify all candidates the status of their application via email by early Fall.

  • Eligible applicants must apply online using an account associated with Google.

Why is a Google account required to apply?
As part of the application process, several documents are attached to the application. Google Forms requires the use of an account associated with Google to use this feature for security purposes.

What does the process look like if I’m selected as a scholarship recipient?

  • Awards will be disbursed directly to the recipient’s financial institution.

  • The recipient’s name and portions of the recipient’s application including the essay may be used for Prism Foundation’s publications and reports.

  • Prism Foundation typically hosts an award ceremony for recipients at our Community Connections event in the Bay Area. The date is to be determined, but will be included in the recipient contract.

  • Recipients will be required to send a video testimonial that may be used for promotional purposes.

The person writing my letter of recommendation prefers that I not read their letter. Is there any way that they can send it to you directly?
Follow the instructions below:

  • Upload a word document titled 'Sent via Supplemental Form” in your application.

  • Have the writer upload their letter to this form (click here).

  • Please note that a Google account is required for Google's security policy.

  • We require that the letter to be sent before the due deadline.

Where do I go if I have more questions?
Please check to see if your question(s) has been answered on this FAQ. We will do our best to keep this page updated with any new information.

If you have any remaining questions, please contact us at scholarship@theprismfoundation.org.

 
 

 Past Scholarship Recipients

2023

  • Savannah Cheung | Harvard Graduate School of Design, MA
    * Kevin & Hieu Tan-Tran Scholarship Recipient

  • Marley Chung | University of Oregon, OR

  • Kai Jie Huang | University of California, San Francisco, CA

  • Hayden Kim | Stanford University, CA
    * George Choy Memorial Scholarship Recipient

  • Jolina Le | Pomona College, CA

  • Joonwoo Lee | University of Wisconsin - Madison, WI

  • Alika Masei | University of California, Los Angeles, CA

  • Alex Min | Nebraska Wesleyan University, NE
    * Donald Masuda Memorial Scholarship Recipient

  • Sasa Ramos | Boston University, MA

  • Saiesh Srivastava | University of North Carolina Asheville, NC

  • Charlotte Tan | University of Pennsylvania, PA

  • Pat Wang | Washington University, MO

  • Matta Zheng | Harvard Divinity School, MA

2022

  • Haneen Alkabasi |Central Connecticut State University, CT

  • Quyen Ballagh |Pomona College, CA

  • Nikki Chang |University of Iowa, IA

  • Mark Chih-Wei Liang |University of California, Irvine, CA

  • Dawson Dang |
    * Kevin & Hieu Tan-Tran Scholarship Recipient

  • Kirandharshini Ganesh |Rutgers University, NJ

  • Iris Ghorbani |Columbia University, NY

  • Aran Glynn |Babson College, MA

  • Rumjhum Hemnani |University of California Los Angeles, CA

  • Saxon Kennedy |Berklee College of Music, MA
    * Kevin & Hieu Tan-Tran Scholarship Recipient

  • Mel Liu |University of California Los Angeles, CA

  • Aian Mendoza |University of California Berkeley, CA
    * George Choy Memorial Scholarship Recipient

  • Hanh Nguyen |University of California Davis, CA

  • Lauren Ton |Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, MD

  • Mai Tran | Sarah Lawrence College, NY

  • Emery Yu | University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, OH
    * Donald Masuda Memorial Scholarship Recipient

2021

  • Seth Canada | Georgetown University, DC

  • Evan Gilbert | Boston University, MA

  • Celeste Good | The Pennsylvania State University, PA

  • JT Huynh | University of California Davis School of Medicine, CA
    * Donald Masuda Memorial Scholarship Recipient

  • Chali Lee | Stanford University, CA

  • Jenesis Merriman | Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, NY
    * Kevin and Hieu Tan-Tran Scholarship (Health) Recipient

  • Ranen Miao | Washington University in St. Louis, MO

  • Loan Tran | Goddard College, Plainfield, VT
    * Kevin and Hieu Tan-Tran Scholarship (Arts) Recipient

  • Madhvi Trivedi-Pathak | California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, CA
    * George Choy Memorial Scholarship Recipient

  • Iris Xie |University of California, Davis, CA

2020

  • Carolyn Chu | University of California, Los Angeles, CA

  • Justin Dela Cruz | University of California, Berkeley, CA

  • Lindsay Guinan | California College of the Arts, CA

  • Adrian Huq | Tufts University, MA

  • Tausif Karim | University of Maine, ME
    * Kevin and Hieu Tan-Tran Scholarship (Arts) Recipient

  • Thomas Manglona | Stanford University, CA

  • Akshaya Natarajan | Emory University, GA

  • Thao Nguyen | University of Michigan, MI

  • Justin Nguyen-Amigo | Walden Univerisity, MN
    * Kevin and Hieu Tan-Tran Scholarship (Health) Recipient

  • Dang Khoa Nguyen Ngoc | University of California, Berkeley, CA
    * George Choy Memorial Scholarship Recipient

  • Kei Tsuruharantani | SUNY Empire State College, NY

  • William Walker | University of Washington, WA

  • Kevin Wei | Georgia Institute of Technology, GA

  • Hao Zhou | University of Iowa, IA
    * Donald Masuda Memorial Scholarship Recipient

2019

  • MD Rasel Ahmed | Columbia University, NY
    * Kevin and Hieu Tan-Tran Scholarship (Arts) Recipient

  • Amber Rose Barcel | University of Washington, WA

  • Emma Brockway | University of Houston Law Center, TX

  • Santino Camacho | University of Washington, WA
    * Kevin and Hieu Tan-Tran Scholarship (Health) Recipient

  • Seth E Canada | The Catholic University of America, DC
    * Donald Masuda Memorial Scholarship Recipient

  • Keisuke Lee-Miyaki | University of California, Berkeley, CA
    * George Choy Memorial Scholarship Recipient

  • Jason Li | Harvard Medical School, MA

  • Keegan Thoranin | University of Illinois, IL

  • Jakob Tran | University of California, Santa Barbara, CA

2018

  • Syd Abad | Santa Barbara City College, CA
    * Donald Masuda Memorial Scholarship Recipient

  • Bo James Hwang | University of California, Los Angeles Extension, CA

  • Harim Jung | University of Pennsylvania, PA

  • Jenny Vu Mai | Wake Forest University, NC

  • Vince Nguyen | Michigan State University, MI

  • Madison Sandoval-Lunn | University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV

  • Brian Francis Villa | University of California, Berkeley, CA
    * George Choy Memorial Scholarship Recipient

2017

  • Weiwen Balter | University of California, Los Angeles, CA

  • Maria Hu Wu | San Francisco State University, CA
    * Donald Masuda Memorial Scholarship Recipient

  • Raksak Kongseng | Boston University, MA

  • Suny Um | California State University, East Bay, CA
    * George Choy Memorial Scholarship Recipient

  • Irene Van | California Institute of Integral Studies, CA

  • Koan Zhang | University of California, San Diego, CA

2016

  • Jonathan Azterbaum | Ptizer College, Claremont, CA

  • Aaron Chen | Chapman University, Orange, CA
    * George Choy Memorial Scholarship Recipient

  • Leila Elaqad | Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
    * Donald Masuda Memorial Scholarship Recipient

  • Aimee Hanna | UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA

  • Landyn Pan | Chapman University, Orange, CA

2015

  • Jerome Chelliah | UC San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

  • Kaiya Kramer | Santa Rosa Community College, Santa Rosa, CA

  • Javan Santos | University of Guam, Guam
    * Donald Masuda Memorial Scholarship Recipient

2014

  • Bryan Chen | Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA

  • Tonhu Dao | UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA

  • Howard Li | UC San Deigo, San Diego, CA

  • Tiffany Lin | Parsons New School, New York City, NY
    * Donald Masuda Memorial Scholarship Recipient

  • Hieu Pham | Rush Medical College, Chicago, IL

2013

  • Vinita Chaudhry | Washington University, St. Louis, MO

  • Timothy Mok | UC San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

  • Lucy Ngo | Westminster High School, Westminster, CA

2012

  • Lily Zheng | Carlmont High School, Belmont, CA

 
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Make a difference for Asian & Pacific Islander LGBTQIA+ student leaders.

Our students come from a diverse background of identities and communities, and many need core funding to support their education.

As an exclusively volunteer-run organization, a vast majority of your donation will go directly back into Prism Foundation programs, such as our scholarships.