• GSBA Scholarship & Education Fund Application 2027-28

  • Welcome to GSBA Scholarship! We're glad you found us!

    The GSBA Scholarship & Education Fund strives to uplift rising LGBTQ+ and actively allied leaders from Washington State as they pursue their post-secondary education. To our scholars, we offer financial awards, typically between $5,500-$10,000, educational programming, networking events, field trips, job shadows, a summer weekend retreat, and a supportive community – whether you're working towards a certificate, 2-year degree, or 4-year degree. 

    All applications are due at midnight on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2026! 

    When you submit your application, you will receive an email confirmation. If you have any questions or need assistance with this application, please reach out to scholarship@thegsba.org.

    Before you begin, please review our Frequently Asked Questions below. 

    Frequently Asked Questions:

    What is in the application? What will I need to prepare?

    The application consists of a series of basic questions about you, your academic history, your educational goals, as well as four essay questions and two file uploads. You'll want to prepare to submit a recent academic transcript and a resume. You might also want to prepare your essay responses ahead of time, so you can copy and paste them into their respective fields on the application. Essay responses are capped at 500 words. You can get an overview of each question here: "Before You Begin" Scholarship Application Checklist on our FAQ page.

    How do I know if I qualify for the GSBA Scholarship? 

    To qualify for the GSBA Scholarship & Education Fund, you must be attending or planning to attend an accredited program, be a Washington resident, and have a clear vision for how you can & will contribute to uplifting the LGBTQIA+ community in the future. Not sure if your school is accredited? Check to see if it is on this list of known accredited institutions or check for evidence within the school that they are viewed as an accredited institution.

    Will my application progress be saved if I don't finish all at once?

    Yes! When you want to save and exit the application, scroll to the bottom of the page to select "Save". This will pop up a window that advises you to login to Jotform to save. If you do not have a Jotform account, you can click "Create an Account" at the bottom to get a link to your draft or send the link to your email. You can reaccess this link to return to your draft anytime before deadline. 

    What is the policy around using AI?

    While AI can be a useful editing tool, we want responses to be written with your authentic voice. Submissions that appear to include mostly or entirely AI generated content will be disqualified.

    Click here to see more FAQ's.

  • Basic Information

  • Provide at least one email that you check frequently below. For those with school emails, be aware that we cannot email/communicate with high school email accounts. Our communications will be blocked, and so we recommend using a personal email that you check frequently. College/university emails are also acceptable.

  • Format: (000) 000-0000.

  • Washington State Residency


    To receive a GSBA Scholarship, you must be a Washington State resident, though scholars may study at any accredited college, university, or other educational institution. Applicants are considered a resident if they meet one or more of the following criteria:

    • Have lived in Washington since September 2026 or earlier
    • Have lived in Washington for at least one year at any time in the past five years (2021-2026)
    • Have lived in Washington for more than one year at any time, and left Washington to attend post-secondary education at a school in another state

    If you are unsure if your experience fits the criteria above, email us at scholarship@thegsba.org before applying.

  • Given the above criteria, do you qualify as a Washington State resident?*

  • If you do not qualify as a Washington State resident by GSBA Scholarship's parameters listed above, then you are not eligible for the scholarship. You will be rerouted to the end of the application.

  • Is it safe for you to receive mail from us at this address?*
  • Date of Birth*
     - -
    2 digit month, 2 digit day, 4 digit year

  • Identity and Connection to the LGBTQ+ Community + Personal/Family Background

  • Share you Sexual Orientation (Select all that apply)*
  • Share your Gender Identity (Select all that apply)*
  • Culturally Specific Identity Terms (Select all that apply) [Optional]
  • What are your preferred gender pronouns? (Select all that apply)*
  • Racial/Ethnic Identity (Select all that apply)*
  • Please indicate whether the following statements are relevant to you.*
    Rows

  • Education - General

  • Have you previously received a scholarship from GSBA?*
  • What is your current educational status?*
  • What type of degree will you be working on for the 2027-28 academic year?*
  • Starting with the 2027-28 academic year (do not include the current year), how many years do you have remaining in your degree program before graduation? See examples below.*

  • Essentially, we want to know how many years of funding you'll need to reach graduatation. Use these example as guidance in answering:

    • You are a high school senior now, not in Running Start, and will be starting a four-year degree program in 2027-28, select "4 years."
    • You are a high school senior now, are in Running Start & will also have an Associate's degree upon high school graduation, starting a four-year degree program in 2027-28, select "2 years." 
    • You are currently in your first year of a four-year degree program, select "3 years."
    • You are currently in your third year of a four-year degree program, select "1 year."
    • You are currently in your last year of a two-year degree program, and planning to transfer to a four-year program to complete your degree, select "2 years."

  • Education - History

  • Your High School or GED Program (If you have attended more than one school, use details of the most recent.)*
  • Have you already earned a degree higher than high school diploma or GED?*
  • If you have completed a degree, please list the details below.
  • Current/Prospective School(s)*

  • Longer Response Questions

    We would love to hear, in your own voice, more about you, your unique situation, and why you would be a good fit for a GSBA Scholarship. Please complete the following essay questions below.

  • How will these responses be evaluated?

    Responses to essay questions are evaluated for detail and clarity in their responses, using a 1-5 point scale: 

    5 - fully answered this area with detail.
    4 - mostly, but could have added more clarity and/or specific details. 
    3 - yes, and have several lingering questions. 
    2 - a start, but is lacking focus and/or detail. 
    1 - response is written, but does not address the question asked.

    Each essay response has a maximum word count of 500.

  • 1. Academic & Career Goals

    Describe your educational and career goals. What do you/will you be studying? What are your goals or plans post-graduation? 

  • 0/500

  • 2. Community Participation

    Describe your involvement in at least one of your communities (LGBTQ+, racial/ethnic communities, religious, and/or social groups are all examples of community).

    • How did you come to be involved? 
    • What was your role? How did you contribute? 
    • What have you learned from your involvement? 
    • If your situation does not allow for such opportunities, what has gotten in the way of your participation? How would you like to participate in the future?
  • 0/500

  • 3. Connection to LGBTQ+ Community

    What do you believe to be an important issue that needs addressing in the LGBTQ+ community? 

    • This can be an issue challenging you personally as a LGBTQ+ applicant or as an active ally with insight to issues and challenges to/in the LGBTQ+ community. 
    • Describe the challenge, digging into the specifics of your observations and experiences.
    • Describe how your academic and career path will enable you to then address the challenge you have identified. Where do you see alignment between the work you hope to be doing professionally and the issue you would like to address?
  • 0/500

  • 4. Financial Need

    Please include as much specific information as you can in response to the following questions. These are often found in the cost of attendance provided by your school of choice.

    • What are the expected tuition costs? 
    • Are there tools or supplies that you will need to purchase prior to starting your program? What do you expect the cost of these to be? 
    • Do you have any other financial obligations we should know about? (think outstanding bills, medical payments, child care expenses)
  • 0/500

  • File Uploads

  • Academic Transcript
    Please upload an official or unofficial copy of your most recent transcript. Your transcript must be uploaded as a PDF, DOC, or DOCX file. If you are having any trouble uploading your transcript, please send it directly to GSBA at scholarship@thegsba.org. In that email, be sure to let us know that you are an applicant and the name used on the application. 

    Please title the file using the following format: FIRSTNAME_LASTNAME_TRANSCRIPT

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  • Resume

    Please upload a copy for your resume. Your resume must be uploaded as a PDF, DOC, or DOCX file.

    Please title the file using the following format: FIRSTNAME_LASTNAME_RESUME

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  • Help Us Do Better

  • How did you primarily learn about this scholarship?*
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