Celebrating DAR Scholarships

In 2022, the DAR Scholarship Committee awarded over $1.6 million dollars and 1,150 scholarships at the chapter, state, and national level. This year, more than 4,100 students submitted applications for the National Society’s 26 scholarships offered through our online portal, DAR Academic Works. The online portal closed on January 31 for the scholarships to be awarded for the coming academic year.  The applications are now under consideration by the over 260 judges who volunteered to serve as online reviewers. All students who submitted applications for our national scholarships will be notified regarding congratulations or regrets by the second week of May. A complete listing of the national scholarship winners will appear in an upcoming edition of the Congress Herald during the 132nd Continental Congress and the Daughter’s Newsletter.

While applications were up over 37% from last year, due in part to the ease of the online application portal, it’s never too early to start thinking about how you can start promoting DAR scholarships in your local community for next year’s submissions!

There are still a few scholarships that we often only get a handful of applicants who apply. In an effort to spread awareness about these opportunities and provide these incredible scholarships to worthy students, you can help us spread the word about some of these lesser-known opportunities offered by the DAR Scholarship Committee.

• Robert Hunter Swadley Horticulture Scholarship – this scholarship is for graduating high school seniors who are residents of California who will be entering an accredited college or university located in the United States as a freshman with a major in horticulture. The scholarship covers full or partial tuition funding for room and board, books and educational supplies. Learn more here.
• William Robert Findley Graduate Chemistry Scholarship – this is a one-time scholarship in the amount of $2,000 for a student attending graduate school full-time at an accredited college or university and majoring in chemistry.  Learn more here.
• Nellie Love Butcher Music Scholarship – this is a one-time scholarship in the amount of $5,000 for a male or female music student who is pursuing an education in piano or voice.  Learn more here.
• Madeline Pickett (Halbert) Cogswell Nursing Scholarship – this is a one-time scholarship in the amount of $2,500 for two students who have been accepted or are currently enrolled in an accredited school of nursing to become a nurse.  Eligible applicants are DAR members, male or female descendants of DAR members, or those who are eligible to become DAR members. Learn more here.

Of course, there are many additional DAR scholarships which you can learn more about on our DAR Scholarships webpage.

There are also several other national DAR scholarships that are administered outside of the DAR Academic Works online portal which we would love to call attention to as well to encourage your help in raising awareness for them in their focused communities.

• DAR–Lena Ferguson Scholarship – This nursing scholarship is administered through the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) and is awarded annually to two students in the UDC nursing program who graduated from the District of Columbia Public Schools. This scholarship was recently increased from $2,500 to $5,000 for each student. This year, the scholarship was re-named by action of the Executive Committee as the “Daughters of the American Revolution – Lena Ferguson Scholarship” to honor the late Lena Santos Ferguson, who was a DAR member of the Margaret Whetten Chapter in Washington, D.C.  She was instrumental in DAR establishing the scholarship as outreach to people of color in the Washington, D.C., community.  Mrs. Ferguson personally administered the scholarship for the first 20 years of its, now, 40 years of being awarded to DC students. UDC nursing students apply for the scholarship through UDC, with a deadline of March 30. Learn more here.
• Anne Trevarthen Memorial Scholarship - The American Indians Committee awards this scholarship which is administered through the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.  Eligible applicants must be graduating high school students who demonstrate a personal connection to Native American culture and traditions, as well as evidence of personal commitment to celebrating diversity and to bridging differences between disparate groups.  Preference is given to students who demonstrate knowledge of and/or involvement with one of Virginia's state-recognized Tribes.  Contact the College of William and Mary's Office of Administration for further information at (757) 221-4223. The amount awarded can vary from year to year. Learn more here.
• Margaret Howard Hamilton Scholarship - This $1,000 award is given to a graduating high school senior accepted into the Harvey and Bernice Jones Learning Center, housing the Ben D. Caudle Learning Program at the University of the Ozarks in Clarksville, Arkansas.  Application forms can be requested from the National Vice Chair for the scholarship at: [email protected] or from the Learning Center upon acceptance into the program for learning disabled students. Learn more here.

Please encourage students in your local communities to apply for one of the many DAR scholarships! Submissions for next year’s 2024 academic year will open in the online scholarship application portal from November 1, 2023 through January 31, 2024.