Next Generation Scholarship (Architects Foundation)

Name: Next Generation Scholarship (Architects Foundation)

Award Amount: Up to $20,000 total (renewable for multiple years)

Information and Eligibility:
The Next Generation Scholarship, administered by the Architects Foundation, empowers the future of the architectural profession by supporting students who reflect the diversity, creativity, and resilience needed to shape the built environment. Established in 1970 through an initial grant from the Ford Foundation, the scholarship honors the vision of civil rights leader Whitney M. Young Jr., who in 1968 urged architects to create a more socially responsible profession. The program exists to remove financial barriers for aspiring architects and to ensure that students from all backgrounds have an equal opportunity to complete their architectural education.

This multiyear scholarship provides up to $20,000 to exceptional students who show academic promise, leadership potential, and a commitment to using design to strengthen communities. Recipients—known as Next Generation Scholars—join a nationwide network of peers and mentors dedicated to innovation, equity, and sustainability in architecture. Scholars are chosen based on talent, community impact, and the ability to demonstrate how architecture can enhance human experience and promote positive social change.

Eligibility criteria include:

• Citizenship: Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
• Academic Status: Applicants must fall into one of the following categories:
  • High school seniors planning to enroll in a NAAB-accredited architecture degree program.
  • Rising second-year college students currently enrolled in a NAAB-accredited program.
  • Technical or community college students who intend to transfer to a NAAB-accredited architecture program.
  • Students completing a non-NAAB four-year program (B.A. or B.S.) and preparing to enter a NAAB-accredited graduate architecture degree program.
• Program Type: Eligible degrees include a five-year Bachelor of Architecture or a pre-professional bachelor’s degree followed by a Master of Architecture.
• Application Limitation: Applicants may apply under only one status (undergraduate or graduate).

Application Requirements:

• A professional résumé highlighting academic, work, or volunteer experience.
• Two letters of recommendation addressed to the “Selection Committee.”
• A portfolio including 3–5 creative works (not limited to architecture-specific projects).
• Three short-answer essays (approximately 300 words each):
  • What influenced you to become an architect?
  • Describe a situation in which you positively influenced others or contributed to a group effort.
  • How do you view the potential of architecture to improve communities?

Additional Details:

• The scholarship is renewable for up to five years, based on academic performance and continued enrollment in an eligible program.
• Multiple scholarships are awarded annually to both undergraduate and graduate students.
• Recipients become part of a professional development network supported by the Architects Foundation, offering access to mentors, industry events, and leadership opportunities.

Deadline:

• Application Period: Opens in November and closes in January.
• Award Announcement: Recipients are notified following the selection committee’s review process in the spring.

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