Pay It Forward Scholars
Substantial investments in a small number of students, and a standing expectation that they carry it forward.
The idea
Meaningful help at the right time can change the direction of a student’s life, and that opportunity keeps moving outward when the person who receives it uses it to help somebody else.
So rather than distributing small awards broadly, we make substantial, needs-aware investments in a limited number of students who show academic ambition, character, resilience, leadership, compassion, and a real commitment to service. Scholars are encouraged to carry it forward through mentoring, leadership, volunteering, professional service, and making opportunities for others.
The program is deliberately personal. We may keep supporting a scholar in later years when they keep showing academic progress, financial need, character, growth, and commitment to what the program is for.
The program is invitation only. We do not accept unsolicited applications, and there is no public application link on this site.
How an award is sized
Awards are built around the gap that is actually left. We look at what a student still owes for their education after every other scholarship and financial aid package has been counted, and we size the award against that documented number.
Initial awards to date have generally run between $10,000 and $20,000, with supplemental funding considered when it is needed to close a remaining gap. Amounts vary with the student’s circumstances, their other aid, and the Foundation’s resources in a given year.
What the committee looks at
Character and integrity
Academic effort, ambition, and potential
Resilience and personal growth
Leadership and initiative
Compassion and service to others
Financial need and the real remaining funding gap
Educational and career goals
The quality and consistency of recommendations
A demonstrated willingness to pay it forward over time
Selection is based on the whole student, not grades alone. We are looking for young people whose accomplishments are matched by humility, work ethic, and a genuine desire to make a difference.
Where it stands
Awarded since the program began in 2025.
The inaugural award, to one scholar, in 2025.
For the 2026 to 2027 academic year, across three scholars, including initial and supplemental awards.
Scholars have attended the University of Alabama, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of Mississippi. The program now carries both new scholars and continuing support for earlier recipients, which lets us follow somebody’s progress over several years rather than writing one cheque and losing touch.
One award, still moving outward
The first award, $20,000, went out in 2025. A year later that scholar was continuing her studies in kinesiology on a pre-medicine track, taking part in an honors program, and mentoring elementary students through hands-on STEM activities.
That is the whole idea, working, a year in.
On names and photographs
We do not publish scholar names, photographs, educational details, or personal stories without written permission from the student. Until that permission is documented, everything on this page stays anonymous or aggregate, including the story above.
When a scholar does want their story told, this site is built to carry individual profiles and updates showing their progress, service, mentoring, and leadership. That is their decision to make, not ours.
Questions about the program
There is nothing to apply for here. If you know a student you believe the Foundation should know about, or you have a question about how the program works, write to us.