Hispanic and LGBT

If you’re worried about paying for college, there are lots of scholarships out there for LGBT and Hispanic students. Some are merit-based, while others are need-based. Here are four of the most popular ones:

The Point Foundation LGBT Scholarship Fund – The Point Foundation supports LGBT students, especially ones who have been abandoned by their families because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The average scholarship award per scholar is $13,600. It can be put towards tuition, housing, books, supplies, transportation, and other living expenses. In addition to the funding, students also get mentoring and leadership training. In return, scholarship recipients must perform well academically and give back to the LGBT community by volunteering. Applications for the 2010-2011 academic year are accepted from December 2009 to February 2010. Go to www.pointfoundation.org to apply.

Hispanic Scholarship Fund – The HSF general college scholarship offers up to $5,000 to full-time college students of Hispanic heritage. You must be a US citizen or legal permanent resident and maintain a GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. You must also apply for federal financial aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The HSF also has several targeted scholarships such as the Atrisco Heritage Foundation Scholarship for heirs of the Atrisco Land Grant of New Mexico. To apply for any of these scholarships, go to https://apply.hsf.net.

League Foundation at AT&T LGBT Scholarship – The foundation offers three scholarships of up to $2,500 to lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender U.S. high school seniors in honor of Matthew Shepherd and Laurel Hester. To qualify, you must have a 3.0 GPA and be involved in community activities. To apply for the scholarship, you must write two personal essays and complete the application form. Go to www.leaguefoundation.org.

Hispanic College Fund – The Hispanic College Fund awards $2 million a year to Hispanic students around the country. Most of the recipients study math, science, business, technology or engineering. To qualify for the award, you must be a US citizen or permanent resident and have a GPA of 3.0. Applications for 2009-2010 year are closed, but you can apply next year at www.hispanicfund.org.