African American Initiative Scholarship

Funded by the San Francisco Foundation and in partnership with UC Berkeley and the Cal Alumni Association, the African American Initiative (AAI) Scholarship provides African American students with financial support to help make their Cal education more accessible.

As of Fall 2024, this scholarship is for UC Berkeley first-year admits (non-transfer students) who demonstrate leadership potential and a genuine willingness to contribute positively to the Black community at Cal.

The AAI Scholarship is administered by the Cal Alumni Association in support of UC Berkeley’s continued commitment to Black and African American student success at Cal. The campus-wide African American Initiative is led by the Division of Equity and Inclusion at UC Berkeley in a comprehensive effort to address the underrepresentation of African American students, faculty, and staff at the university.

To apply to the African American Initiative Scholarship, please create a new account. It is important you create an account using an email you will have access to AFTER you have graduated from high school or community college. After creating an account, you will then have the opportunity to complete a general application and, if qualified, apply to specific scholarships.

Reminder: Recipients of the African American Initiative scholarship are required to live on the African American Theme Program floor. applicants are strongly encouraged to apply to live on the Afro Floor when they apply for housing. Your spot on the floor will be reserved if you are a recipient. Find out more about the Afro Floor here: https://reslife.berkeley.edu/academics/theme-programs/african-american-theme-program/

Award
$4000 - $8000
Deadline
03/31/2024
Supplemental Questions
  1. CAA recognizes that heritage, identity, and belonging are complex topics. This Scholarship is intended to build the Black and African American community at UC Berkeley. For this reason this scholarship is only available to students with African/Black ancestry. Your answer to this question will not be visible to evaluators. This question is only to determine scholarship eligibility. Please supply the following information about your identity to be considered. Please Select All of the Following which apply to you:
  2. I understand that this scholarship is intended to build the Black and African American community at UC Berkeley and certify that I am of African/Black ancestry. Your answer to this question will not be visible to evaluators. This question is only to determine scholarship eligibility.
  3. The selections committee will not have access to your U.C. Application, so please feel free to a use portion of your personal statement as you see fit. Before you begin, take a moment to think about your answers. Have another person check the spelling and grammar of your essay before submitting it. Your answers must be submitted in a plain-text format with no style or formatting (e.g. italics, boldface, bullet points, underlining, accent marks, etc.). Each essay must fall under the 300-word limit. You will be automatically cut off once you have reached the word limit. If you wish to add a paragraph break, please use a double return. What work have you done until now to positively uplift the Black community? Please provide at least two concrete examples.
  4. The AAI scholarship requires recipients to participate in programming through African American Student Development. Program Requirements include living on the Afro floor, meeting with an academic counselor, participating in Black Student Orientation, retreats and workshops. We are interested in students who demonstrate a passion to give back to the Black community, drive to excel at U.C. Berkeley, plan to take an active role in the AAI program, and have the ability to turn adversity into success. How are you hoping to engage with the Black community on campus? Please describe your vision and tie it to who you are and your story.
  5. UC Berkeley Student ID (SID)
  6. Our selection committee is convening on April 20, 2024 to conduct interviews for students who move on to the finalist round. I agree that I must be available for in-person or virtual interviews on April 15th.
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