Standing Proud Scholarship
Now accepting applications for the 2023-24 Standing Proud Scholarship!
Application - https://forms.gle/FH7MVTUkEvvFvxGg8
Applicants MUST be:
- A South Dakota Resident
- Attending College, University or Trade School in the upcoming school year (Fall 2023-Spring 2024)
- This includes non-traditional students and students at any year in their studies!
Applications are considered based on:
- Financial Need
- LGBTQIA+ Community Member or Ally
- Letter of Recommendation
- Extra-Curricular Activities and/or Employment
- Academics, Honors and Awards (Can be educational, organizational, or from your employer)
- Essay Prompts
- Field of Study
About the Scholarship:
Sioux Falls Pride is proud to offer the annual Standing Proud Scholarship supporting post-secondary education for LGBTQA+ and Two-Spirit Students.
The scholarship is funded by Sioux Falls Pride, our generous donors, and from the proceeds of our Rainbow Buffalo collection.
The number of scholarships awarded, and the amount of each scholarship, varies from year to year based on the funds we are able to raise.
Applications for the scholarship open in the winter months of each year, and close on January 1st. The application is online only, and will be made available on this page and on the Sioux Falls Pride social media channels.
About the Rainbow Buffalo
You've probably seen our new logo around town.
The iconic Rainbow Buffalo was created by Thea Ryan as a cute Pride month decoration when she worked at the Outdoor Campus.
After a complaint from a homophobic parent, Thea was asked to take it down.
She refused.
When Pride heard the story, we worked with Thea to make the Rainbow Buffalo our new logo. Since then, we copyrighted the unmistakable image to use in designs to raise money supporting South Dakota LGBTQ+ youth.
In 2019, SFP launched the Standing Proud Scholarship to give back to the queer youth in our community pursuing higher education.
In the years following, we expanded our designs to include a transgender, a nonbinary, and a racially inclusive bison.
Sioux Falls Pride products purchased with any of these bison on it helps fund our annual scholarship. In 2021, your generosity and support of the rainbow buffalo allowed us to award three scholarships of $3,000 to deserving LGBTQ+ students.
Want to learn more about the origins of the Rainbow Buffalo? Check out this story from Pigeon 605:
Behind the Rainbow Buffalo: The Story of an Accidental Icon
Apply for the 2023-24 Scholarships: