July 3, 2008
Christina Williams

African American Scholarships for Women

Summary: There are several organizations at various levels of business that strive to assist African American woman reach their financial goals. These organizations achieve this by providing scholarships and educational opportunities.

Many scholarships are tailor made for the African American woman. These scholarships can help any African American woman reach her goals of attending and graduating college.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA for short, is one of the most dedicated associations for the promotion of female and minority scholarships in the sports field. The NCAA offers a scholarship known as the Ethnic Minority and Women's Enhancement Postgraduate Scholarship for Careers in Athletics. This scholarship can be awarded to any minority female that is attending school for a field related to sports.

The Black Women in Sports Foundation funds several scholarships for women of African American descent. Their Madeline Kountze Dugger-Kelly Scholarship is awarded to black women currently enrolled in a graduate program who were previously active in undergraduate sports. Candidates are assessed based on their community service and personal character.

The Black Women in Sisterhood for Action (BISA) was founded in 1980 to promote strategies for education and career advancement of black women. Through their scholarships foundations, the BISA awards funds to black women with disadvantaged backgrounds who come from inner-city areas. Qualified candidates are judged based on their leadership skills, academic merit and career ambitions. Beyond providing financial assistance, BISA provides transportation, mentoring, tutoring, and counseling for its scholarship recipients.

NHBW, National Black Hook-Up of Black Women, Inc, began in 1973 as a way for African American women and their families to find assistance in areas such as the arts, culture, and health. This organization funds scholarships through the Sister to Sister program. The recipients of this scholarship are minority women who are going back to school without the financial support of their family. There are also scholarship programs that are geared for black women who are about to or have already graduated high school and wish to further their educations.

The Association of Black Women Lawyers of New Jersey is a regional-based association that works to offer women scholarships to attend college within the New Jersey area. These women must be pursuing a law degree and be of African American descent.

The Association of Black Women Physicians (ABWP), established in 1982, strives to improve public health and welfare through public outreach. Their Rebecca Lee, MD Scholarship is named in recognition of the first black female physician who graduated medical school one year before the end of slavery in 1864. Qualified candidates are black women who either reside in Southern California or are enrolled in medical school in Southern California. Applicants are evaluated based on academic merit, financial need and community outreach.

No matter what field of study the African American woman wishes to study, there are plenty of scholarships available to make that dream a reality.