Scholarship & Education Fund

GSBA supports LGBTQ+ and allied students who demonstrate the vision and the ability to truly make a difference in the world. With a GSBA scholarship, students are able to focus more wholly on their academic pursuits. With the financial burden lightened, they are able to work one less job, avoid debt, and involve themselves in community activities.

This is a community effort! With a GSBA scholarship, we are supporting students with their educational pursuits, who will in turn lead an equitable future. We need you to join us in supporting tomorrow’s leaders today.

The GSBA Scholarship & Education Fund awards scholarships to LGBTQ+ and allied students who exhibit leadership potential, strong academic abilities, and are actively involved in school and community organizations. Founded in 1991, the GSBA Scholarship & Education Fund has invested almost $6 million in 535 scholars.

Our scholars receive more than a monetary award. GSBA scholars enter into a partnership with both sides of the organization: the Chamber of Commerce and the Scholarship & Education Fund. GSBA scholars are encouraged to take advantage of the many resources available to them through GSBA membership and community connections.

GSBA LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

Throughout the year, GSBA scholars have access to several leadership development workshops and scholar community building events, termed Leadership Academy. The cornerstone of the Leadership Academy is the annual Immersion Weekend. In the first weekend of August, scholars engage in workshops facilitated by GSBA business members, former GSBA scholars, elected officials, and other community leaders centered around developing and growing their personal, professional, and community leadership.

By participating in the GSBA Leadership Academy, scholars will:

Define what leadership means to them.
Articulate their own strengths and asks.
Seek out opportunities for personal and professional growth.
Describe their own intersections of gender, sexual orientation, race, class, ability and how these experiences shape their leadership and values as an LGBTQ+ leader.
Leverage available resources to meet their unique needs.
Build community with fellow GSBA scholars (past and present), GSBA staff, and the broader GSBA membership as a network of support.
Identify resources and methods of finding support within their educational and professional communities.
Recognize ways to stay engaged with the GSBA Scholarship Program with the understanding that “once a scholar, always a scholar.”

GSBA MEMBERSHIP

As a part of their scholarship, GSBA scholars receive a complementary membership with the GSBA chamber of commerce. Established in 1981, GSBA is Washington State’s LGBTQ+ and allied chamber of commerce, and the largest of its kind in North America. We represent over 1,300 small business, corporate and nonprofit members who share GSBA’s values of promoting equality and diversity in the workplace. As a part of their membership, scholars receive:

Complimentary access to GSBA networking events, workshops, and webinars.
Connection to the LGBTQ+ business and non-profit community.

The Guarantee is our commitment to the ongoing funding of our scholars. Every scholar who has met certain criteria is eligible for up to four years of scholarship funding.

This commitment to our scholars’ success and eventual graduation helps support our future leaders in a way that few programs are able to do.