Black Students Scholarships

The Episcopal Church provides scholarship opportunities to support future church leaders of the African Diaspora in their academic goals. Scholarships are primarily for students enrolled in theological education and specialized training. Funding for the program is derived from annual dividends of designated trust funds established by generous donors. The program is administered by the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society Scholarship Committee and African Descent Ministries. In 2023, $198,300 was awarded to 36 Black scholars. The 2023 scholarship distribution was as follows:

• $114,000 awarded to 15 seminarians from the Black Clergy Development Fund. This fund was established in 1983 to be used for recruitment and scholarship aid for Black postulants and candidates for holy orders in The Episcopal Church.
• $60,000 awarded from the Robert W. Patton Memorial Fund and the Mary J. Stroud Fund to six scholars attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Both funds were established in 1968.
• $24,300 award to 15 applicants from the Eckhardt & Hattie Rebecca Anderson Memorial Fund (established 1948).

Scholarship applications for the 2024/2025 academic year open in the early spring and awards are generally granted in May. Typical awards range between $1,000 – $10,000 per year.

Interested in establishing a trust in your name or in honor or memory of someone?  Email the Rev. Canon Ronald C. Byrd Sr.