Application FAQs

The Fund provides need-based grants to students enrolled in an accredited trade or technical school, community college, college, or university who are actively working toward liberation, justice and social change in their communities.This is a scholarship to support day-to-day educational and living expenses.Davis-Putter scholars are both undergraduate and graduate students. Grantees must receive college credits for the time period covered by their grant, it does not matter if students are attending part-time or full-time, or are attending a two-year or four-year program.

Early DPSF grantees fought for civil rights, against McCarthyism, and for peace in Vietnam. More recent grantees are working toward self-determination for all oppressed people and doing work that does/can potentially undermine the US empire. This work is characterized by opposition to capitalism, racism/white supremacy, patriarchy and gender-based violence, environmental exploitation and/or other forms of systemic harm and oppression. There is a strong preference for applicants who have participated in activities in the US and plan on continuing their work in this country.

We value the labor and leadership that it takes to sustain and grow movements. There are people who do more public-facing work, and others who work behind the scenes to make actions and meetings possible. Others do the necessary and important work of team building and conflict transformation within groups. All these, and more, are crucial and valuable components of what it means to build a team, and to sustain movements through the ebb and flow of our current political climate. We want to find people who are inspired to and willing to commit to this work over the long haul, who are committed to their own individual growth and development, and that of the larger movement.

The Fund seeks to support the development of active and emerging movement leaders, so it is expected that grantees may be new or emerging leaders. The Fund recognizes that not everyone has access to the same resources and networks and particularly encourages folks from under-resourced regions, those in rural communities, and students outside of major cities to apply. We love to receive applications and support student activists who are from leading social change work on the margins of traditional/mainstream movement activism, and would consider applicants who may not have access to other financial support for the radical work they are holding.

No. You will have to make that judgment yourself. However, we strongly encourage you to review past grantees on the website and the current eligibility information to assess whether your activities are similar in nature. Just because your specific area of activism is not listed in the materials does not mean that you won’t be considered. Each year the trustees look for organizers in diverse communities, organizations and fields who are responding to the needs of the current moment.

No. This Fund specifically focused on supporting organizers active in movements for progressive social change. No application will be seriously considered without that piece. We do not consider applicants who only aspire to be in those spaces.

No. The Davis Putter Scholarship Fund is a need-based grant. We look comprehensively at the applicant’s contribution to social justice, ability to perform academically, relevance of educational program, as well as their financial need. Applicants who do not have a financial need will not be selected.

Probably not, but you should review the eligibility criteria to check based on your specific context. You must be enrolled at an institution of higher education and be receiving degree credits from that institution. Advanced placement courses while in high school generally do not meet those requirements, though part-time college enrollees who are still in high school may be eligible. For specific questions, please reach out to davisputter@davisputter.org.

You should indicate on the application that you have not been accepted yet and use the costs related to the school that you expect to attend for the tuition and expense figures. If you are accepted to and choose to attend a school not listed on your application form, we may ask you to send us new information on educational and living costs.

Students who have completed their undergraduate degrees or are in joint degree or advanced education programs working for a masters, doctorate, or professional degree (medicine, law, architecture, journalism, etc.) are eligible to receive a scholarship from the Fund. Only rarely does the Fund award grants to students seeking multiple or second advanced degrees.

No. You must be enrolled in an educational program and the scholarship must be used at the same time that you are securing college credits for that program.

No. The Davis-Putter Scholarship Fund is a need-based educational scholarship to support day-to-day educational and living expenses, so we only give grants to individual students for their educational program at accredited schools.

No, but applicants must have participated in activities in the United States and be planning to enroll in an accredited program in the US in order to apply. Because of the goals we have for this scholarship to support the strengthening of movements in the US, there is a preference to award grants to students who are planning on staying in the United States and building the progressive movement here. Non-citizen applicants do not need to have a social security number or student visa.

The Davis-Putter Scholarship Fund is committed to supporting students with financial need and confidentiality. As such, we do not share your personal information with government agencies, nor do we require applicants to do so. We encourage you to provide your student aid report (SAR) or if not eligible for federal aid, the FAFSA worksheet or state equivalent (such as CA Dream Act Application) but we do not require the FAFSA. All applicants will be required to complete a financial need section of the application.

The Davis Putter Scholarship Fund (and its Board) are US based and are thus most familiar with US based movement spaces. While an application under those circumstances may not be automatically rejected, it is extremely difficult for the trustees to judge the activism, quality of the educational program, or soundness of the future plans of applicants working and living in another country, and such applications are much less likely to be approved.

Students whose goals coincide with those of the Fund and who are involved in activism in the United States may apply if they believe they meet the other criteria.

Yes, provided that you will earn credits toward a degree at an accredited program in the United States during that year.

The maximum grant is $15,000 and may be considerably smaller depending on the applicant’s circumstances and the amount of money available.The average grant in 2023-24 was about $7,500. All of the scholarship funds come from the contributions of individual donors.