Scholarship Program

The next generation begins here.

Eight micro-grants of $2,500 each — awarded annually to students with demonstrated academic standing and community connection — create the pathway that turns the room of three hundred into the room of the next three hundred.

Eligibility

Three criteria. No exceptions.

Academic standing. Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above at the time of application.
Household financial threshold. Annual household income at or below $200,000.
Community connection. Demonstrated relationship to the Martha’s Vineyard Black community, a Vineyard Icon honoree, a Founders Circle member, or the broader Vineyard diaspora.

Disbursement & routing. The Vineyard Icon Scholarship is administered in partnership with Color Vision Creates Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) on which Erin Goldson serves as a board member. All charitable contributions intended for the scholarship are received and disbursed by Color Vision Creates Foundation while the Vineyard Icon Foundation IRS determination is pending. Donors will receive their tax acknowledgment from Color Vision Creates Foundation.

How recipients are selected

Applications are reviewed by a documented rubric maintained by the Method Editor and confirmed by Founding Host Erin Goldson. Recipients are announced at the annual Vineyard Icon Awards ceremony, where each scholar is introduced personally to the room and to that year’s honorees. The introduction is the relationship that begins the next twenty years.

Apply or nominate a student

Applications and nominations are accepted on an annual cycle, opening each spring. Inquiries are reviewed by the Method Editor and Founding Host together.

Begin a Scholarship Inquiry

Underwrite a scholar.

Each $2,500 grant is a one-time, named, accountable act. Supporters who underwrite a full scholar receive a personal report from the recipient and a relationship that lasts longer than any check.

Underwrite a Scholar