Learn about scholarships and grants for undergraduate and/or graduate LGBTQIA+ and allied students. Scholarships are gift aid (i.e. money you do not have to repay). Scholarships may be awarded solely based on academic merit, or they may be awarded based on merit and additional criteria including academic concentration, community involvement, leadership, or financial need, among others.

• UIS Gender & Sexuality Student Services’ InQUEERy: Peers Providing Queer Answers trains students to interact with their peers to combat homophobia, transphobia, and heterosexism through innovative activities and workshops. Students receive a $500 scholarship per semester after completing the peer education course (PSC/WGS/SOA 357). Honorary members still learning to be a peer educator and that have not yet taken the course receive a $250 scholarship per semester.
• The Phoenix Center in Springfield, IL is offering grants to members of the LGBT community in Sangamon, Macon, and Macoupin counties impacted by Covid. The mission of the Phoenix Center is to support Central Illinois’ LGBT Community with programming for promoting equality, health & well being, and social and educational growth. Contact The Phoenix Center for more information or to complete the grant.
• The Acorn Equality Fund is accepting applications for scholarships of $1,000 to $4,000 for LGBT students, allies, or their children in downstate Illinois. These scholarships recognize achievements in numerous areas and applications are typically due every September.
• The #TransgenderFirst Scholarship is the first national scholarship exclusively dedicated to helping underserved Transgender students get affordable access to a college education.
• Human Rights Campaign LGBTQ Student Scholarship Database includes access to scholarships for students across the country and in specific regions of the country.

If you administer or are aware of a scholarship or grant that could benefit a student at the University of Illinois Springfield or any Central Illinois student and would like to have it listed here, please contact us at 217-206-8316 or at gss@uis.edu.