Ruby Dee Legacy of Sisterhood Scholarship for the Arts

APPLICATION DEADLINE: March 31, 2026 (11:59pm) 

The Ruby Dee Legacy of Sisterhood Scholarship for the Arts is made possible by a generous donation to the Delta Research and Educational Foundation (DREF) by Dr. Francene Breakfield and L. Denise Wells, longtime members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and the co-authors of An Anthology of Sisterhood.

The $1,000 merit-based scholarship will be awarded annually to a deserving African American female student who is either a junior or senior collegiate or a graduate student majoring in English, Literature, Drama, Art, Music, African American Studies, Communications, Education, Fine Arts, Performing Arts, or Visual Arts.

APPLICATION GUIDELINES

It is important to have all documents and answers to questions ready to upload before beginning the application. The application may not automatically save and could potentially require you to start over.

• All questions must be answered. Incomplete applications will be disqualified. Please use N/A to indicate inability to answer. Leave no open fields.
  
  
• You will not be able to submit your application until all requested application items have been uploaded.
  
  
• Before beginning, please review all questions on the scholarship application.
  
  
• Applications must include the following:
  
  • Complete application form
  • An upload of your essay in Word or PDF format
  • Three references with completed contact information
  • An upload of your most recent official academic transcript in PDF format
  • An upload of a recent photo/headshot 
    
    
• It is the applicant's sole responsibility to make sure all supplemental materials (i.e. reference letters) are submitted prior to the deadline for consideration. Any portion missing from an application denotes an incomplete submission and will not be reviewed.

• Only winners will be notified.

  
   

APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

• Currently attend an accredited college or university on a full-time basis.
• Be enrolled as either a junior, senior or a graduate student.
• Must have a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale.
• Must be actively pursuing a degree at the undergraduate or graduate level in one of the disciplines listed above.
• Demonstrated community service and leadership skills which should also reflected in the recommendation letters.
• Applicant must have permanent residency (home address) in a state that is part of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s Southern Region or Eastern Region.
• Preference will be given to applicants from Georgia and New York.

Note: Scholarships are awarded to successful candidates and are at the discretion of the Scholarship Committee and will be transferred to the recipient’s school account the following Fall Semester.

Please accurately complete all of the required information in this section. A red asterisk (*) indicates that a question is required.

Prepare and upload a one page essay (maximum 250 words) responding to this topic:

"What does sisterhood mean to you?"
Sisterhood is defined as a bond or relationship between two or more women who are not necessarily related by blood. Have you experienced a friendship or connection to a female peer? Describe the positive impact this alliance has had on your life.

You are required to submit three letters of recommendation from personal references other than relatives.  Letters may be accepted from teachers, mentors, pastors, personal friends, et al.  

By submitting this application, you attest that:

• You have accurately and honestly completed this scholarship application.
• You understand that if fraud or dishonesty is determined / discovered by DREF in its sole-discretion, any award moneys must be immediately returned.
• The essay submitted with this application contains only your own thoughts and writing.
• The letters of recommendation submited with this application are genuine, were provided by the recommenders, and have not been modified by you or any third party.
• The transcript(s) submitted with this application are your own, are complete, and are unaltered.
• You agree to the terms and conditions of this scholarship application and any subequent award.

After fully completing the above sections, please review your answers and then click the Submit button below to apply for this scholarship.  Once you click submit, you will no longer have access to your application, so please carefully review your answers before submitting.