ACLU Scholarship for Emerging Advocates

The ACLU is proud to announce a major investment in the next generation of advocates for civil rights and liberties: a generous college scholarship program of up to $40,000. This is a challenging time for so many of the core issues the ACLU works on -- and, with so much at stake amid a fractured political environment, one important way we’re meeting this moment is to support young changemakers in becoming the advocates, activists, organizers, lawyers, and policy makers they are meant to be. The Emerging Advocates Scholarship – a new program of the ACLU’s National Advocacy Institute!

The ACLU Foundation will select 25 Emerging Advocates eligible to receive up to $40,000, over 4 years, toward undergraduate tuition cost. These Emerging Advocates will not only be supported in their education, but will be connected to ACLU resources and a peer-network of change-makers.

Awarded Emerging Advocates will receive:

• $10,000/year toward undergraduate tuition, up to $40,000 total, up until their graduation year;

• The opportunity to connect with other emerging national leaders in cohort meetings of “Emerging Advocates;”

• Support from National Advocacy Institute staff and other opportunities such as events, professional development, and information about work opportunities with the ACLU.

An applicant must meet the following criteria to be eligible to apply:

• Applicant has successfully attended the ACLU’s National Advocacy Institute for high school students (in-person and virtual programs qualify);

• Applicant is currently in their senior year of high school;

• Applicant is fully eligible for high school graduation and expecting to enroll in higher education in Fall 2025; and,
• Applicant can display the need for financial-assistance for tuition cost.

The application will consist of two rounds: Open Application & Finalist Interviews.

Open Application
Eligible candidates will need to submit an application consisting of:

• Personal Information

• High School Transcript

• Two Letters of Recommendation

• Personal Statement

• Essay Questions (One Long-Form, Two Short-Form)

• High School Resume or CV

• SAT/ACT/AP/IB Test Scores (optional)

Finalist Interviews
Select candidates will receive the designation of Emerging Advocate Finalist. All Finalists will be contacted to schedule a 20-minute virtual interview with members of the Selection Committee. Details regarding the interview will be shared with Finalists upon selection.

Following the Finalist Interviews, the ACLU Emerging Advocates will be named and contacted. Each candidate awarded will confirm their participation before announcements.

The ACLU values diversity and strives to build an inclusive culture of belonging. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, citizenship, disability, and record of arrest or conviction, or any other personal identity characteristic. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodation(s) to individuals with disabilities. If you are a person with a disability and have any questions or need assistance applying online, please email EmergingAdvocatesApplication@aclu.org.

Open Application – The application will be open until March 30th at 11:59pm EDT. There will be a grace period to submit any missing documents until Monday April 7th.

Finalist Interviews – We intend to contact all Finalists by end of April, interviews will be completed by end of mid May. All candidates can expect to receive notification of their application status.

Announcement – End of May or sooner.