Today's youth is tomorrow's leadership: this is the driving principle guiding the Men of Essence® (MoE) Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Youth Scholarship Program. We realize the importance of investing in our youth. The development of the MoE LGBT Youth Scholarship is a testament to this fact. The key to ensuring that society embraces uniqueness is the encouragement of education. Through educational channels, intellectual development can diminish intolerance and heighten diversity acceptance.

Nearly one-third of LGBT students drop out of high school to escape the violence, harassment, and isolation they face there - a dropout rate nearly three times the national average. Thus, the MoE Foundation wants the LGBT Youth Scholarship to be a source of inspiration for LGBT youth. We want to encourage them to stay firmly committed to gaining an education of higher learning. The MoE LGBT Youth Scholarship is intended to benefit young members of the LGBT community who are either college-bound or in college pursuing a fulltime, postsecondary course of study. We seek to reinforce achievement of their educational goals so that they can in turn become the next generation of positive role models advocating diversity awareness and tolerance.

MoE LGBT Youth Scholarship applicants must be:

(1) young members (ages 17 – 25) of the LGBT community
(2) maintaining a 2.5 average GPA or above
(3) pursuing or planning to pursue a fulltime, postsecondary course of study in a degree program at an accredited United States institution of higher learning

All application submittals with supplemental documentation are reviewed by the MoE Board of Directors. The MoE Board of Directors thus selects the best qualified applicant.