Announcing New Scholarships When They’re Needed Most

April 20, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Announcing New Scholarships When They’re Needed Most

Washington, D.C.: What does the BA family do when it becomes increasingly clear that one of our sisters needs support? 

We stand side by side, lift each other up, and make sure no one is left behind. 

Much is uncertain right now: the pandemic, the stock market, the election, if or when the grocery store will have soap back on the shelves. But one thing is certain: our mission isn't pausing through the turmoil, nor should we.

And only because of previous philanthropic investments, today we are excited to announce $75,000 in additional COVID-19 response scholarships to distribute to the 2020 EmpowHERed cohort of change-making women. This brings our total scholarships in 2020 to $198,910. 

We listened to our EmpowHER enrollees. Like many of us, they are navigating murky waters as they find themselves in newly precarious positions. The women we welcomed into our BA family have lost jobs, are supporting family members who have lost jobs, have accrued new debts to pay for unanticipated expenses, and more... 

The change in financial positioning uncoiled a slew of other challenges:

“I planned on helping my family financially to cover my EmpowHER tuition. Because of the pandemic, I lost my two on-campus jobs at the same time my mother was laid off. Any additional aid would be something I would be very grateful for.” 

“The crisis has put me in unexpected financial debt due to the costs associated with suddenly moving and losing my work-study wages. Any money that I earn now has to go toward keeping my family and I afloat.” 

“I live in a single-parent, low-income household. My mother is self-employed as a house cleaner, and due to COVID-19, her clients have cancelled their appointments. As a result, we face substantial financial hardship.” 

The BA family chooses to stand by our 2020 enrollees and their families. We dug deep to reallocate funds toward $75,000 in additional COVID-19 response scholarships. Without this additional support, these women would not be able to participate in EmpowHER 2020 and join our BA family. 

In full transparency, the BA Women’s Alliance now has a projected loss of approximately $160,000 over the next several months. To counteract these potential revenue losses, we’ve established the BA Women’s Alliance Emergency Fund Initiative. This discretionary fund is intended not only to enable us to provide continued critical care to our 2020 cohort of collegiate women, but also mitigate our operational budget deficit in response to the onset of COVID-19 and its ongoing effects.

For now, the BA family is focusing on the excitement on the horizon: we will be announcing the 2020 cohort in the coming weeks and we cannot wait to introduce these incredible women!

These women are the silver linings of our days, truly.
To be in a position to support them is the brightest beacon of hope. 

We wanted to pause to celebrate this moment of solidarity and sisterhood in what is an uncertain, turbulent time. 

In partnership and with gratitude,
Mary Bruce
Executive Director