Friends Education Fund Scholarship
Applications Are OPEN FOR THE 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR
We invite you to apply for the Friends Educational Fund Scholarship for the 2024-2025 academic year. Please see eligibility requirements below.
If you are applying for the first time, please download and fill out this initial application.
If you are a previous recipient renewing your scholarship, please download and fill out this renewal application.
Whether applying initially or renewing, send your completed application as an attachment to FriendsEducationFund@indyfriends.org. All applications must be received by Thursday, May 2nd at 3pm EST.
When you send your application, you will get a confirmation email. If you don’t get a confirmation, please re-check that the email address you sent it to is correct, or contact office@indyfriends.org for assistance.
A Brief History of the Friends Education Fund
The Friends Education Fund, a Quaker college scholarship program for African American students, was created in the mid-1940s by several members of Indianapolis First Friends Meeting who were the surviving governing board of the only orphanage for African American children in the state of Indiana.
The orphanage was also created by First Friends members after the Civil War. By the 1920s, when it was closed, the orphanage had provided care for over 3,000 African American children.
In the beginning the educational program was funded by the assets which remained following the closing of the orphanage. These included a bequest from John Williams, a formerly enslaved person, who was a successful farmer and tanner in 1860s Washington County, Indiana. In his will he requested that his assets be used to educate “poor Negro children” and, after his death, his assets were transferred by the courts to the Friends orphanage in Indianapolis. The 1940s decision for educational scholarships was influenced by this bequest.
First Friends invested the orphanage assets and used the proceeds to assist African American students. Since that time the directors have continued to invest and use the income generated to provide scholarships. Over $1,000,000 in scholarships have been provided to more than 1,800 students since its beginnings.
Eligibility
This scholarship is for the benefit of African American students. Applicants must be a resident of Indiana. We receive more applications than we can normally accept and the more information you provide, the better your chances for acceptance. A new application must be submitted each spring/summer for the upcoming fall semester even if you received aid the previous year.
Our program is primarily for recent high school graduates just entering college for their initial semester as well as those already in our program. If additional funds are available we will then consider applications from students that may be entering college at a later stage in life or those already enrolled in college who may have recently heard of the program.
Support the Fund
If you would like to make a contribution to the scholarship fund, visit our donation page and choose “FEF Scholarship” as the fund. See instructions on how to use our online donation page here.