Following the death of George Floyd, the Stand Up For Change Scholarship Fund was created to make the CASA scholarship possible.
The scholarship launched as a resource for domestic violence survivors and people of color to provide financial assistance for the education and training needed to pursue a career in criminal justice.
“We believe that the desire to maintain power and control over another person is at the center of both domestic violence and racism. Both survivors and people of color experience further victimization and bias in the criminal justice system.” CASA CEO Lariana Forsythe said.
The idea behind the CASA scholarship is to change systems from the inside out and raise funds that will enrich local communities and the people within.
“Any survivor of domestic violence and/or person of color pursuing a criminal justice degree in the Tampa Bay Area is welcome to apply for the scholarship,” Forsythe said.“Our goal is to give people with lived experience of oppression the opportunity to change the system from the inside out.”
The fund is held at Pinellas Community Foundation, with the total funding goal of $200,000, which would allow the non-profit to provide an average of $10,000 a year in scholarship support.
"There is a big need here and the CASA team and all of us here at Pinellas Community Foundation want to do our part to see lasting change and resolution," said Duggan Cooley, CEO of Pinellas Community Foundation. "The scholarship is set up so that people who want to pursue a career in criminal justice can have a pathway to education and ultimately be involved in some segment of our vast criminal justice system, bring their lived experience, and change systems from the inside out."
For every $25,000 raised, the scholarship will generate about $1,250 in scholarship support annually. Those awarded the scholarship will be selected by an independent committee that will review applications and make recommendations for awards. A scholarship can be used to pay for traditional educational expenses with a focus on paying tuition and textbook costs.
All scholarship payments will be made locally to the chosen educational institution of the student, as mentioned in the application.
To learn more about the fund, eligibility, and ways to contribute click here.
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