The Unafraid Scholarship was founded by BTUs Unafraid Educators in order to provide financial support for students who are not eligible to receive federal financial aid due to their immigration status.

Thousands of immigrants attend the Boston Public Schools, but when they graduate, many face a huge obstacle: if they are undocumented, they do not qualify for federal financial aid. Recent changes will allow many undocumented students to receive in-state tuition and state financial aid at Massachusetts public colleges, or attend public community colleges for free. This is a huge win for undocumented students, as well as all residents of the commonwealth.

Since 2017, the Unafraid Scholarship has awarded a total of $430,000 to more than 150 graduates of the Boston Public Schools. Many students have received the scholarship for multiple years, and have graduated from college or are well on their way to pursuing their degree.

In the first three years, the Unafraid Scholarship awarded $175,000 in scholarships to more than 70 students, including 2018 support from the Edelstein Family Fund that has now seeded a new Lawrence Unafraid Scholarship.

But we want to ensure that every one of the students we’ve invested in can complete their education, and we know that as word about the scholarship spreads, the number of applications is going to keep growing.

Will you join us to bring – and keep – college within these talented young people’s reach?