Akila Couloumbis Memorial Scholarship for Social Justice
Akila Couloumbis was an activist, actor, and director in the City of New York. In 1967 he co-founded The Theatre for the Forgotten (TFTF), a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of the incarcerated through theater. The Theatre for the Forgotten introduced theatrical arts to inmates, involving them in prison productions and offering employment opportunities after release. TFTF received multiple awards, including a Certificate of Recognition from Mayor John Lindsay in 1969 and a Merit Award presented by Mayor David Dinkins in 1992.
The Akila Couloumbis Memorial Scholarship aims to support research projects and program proposals by graduate students whose work will address high-risk youth, alternatives to incarceration, and/or the development of social and educational programs to alter the life trajectory of the imprisoned. Incarceration is an issue at the intersection of social injustice, economic inequality, and systemic racism/bigotry. Applicants could therefore also be working on research or programs that will influence American policing, improve policy, support re-integration, and reduce recidivism.
Qualified applicants will include graduate students and recent postgraduates with 3.25 GPA or higher who have or are pursuing advanced degrees (MS, PhD, JD, MBA) in sociology, political science, economics, African American studies, law, political science, forensics, the arts, and other fields relevant to this scholarship.
To apply, please submit an essay addressing the following:
1. What social issue facing the US most concerns you ?
2. What is necessary to create a system that operates "with liberty and justice for all"?
3. What work do you propose to do and how will it be impactful?
4. What findings or outcomes would be most important and how will you evaluate the success of your research project or program?
Please submit an essay addressing the following:
1. What social issue facing the US most concerns you ?
2. What is necessary to create a system that operates "with liberty and justice for all"?
3. What work do you propose to do and how will it be impactful?
4. What findings or outcomes would be most important and how will you evaluate the success of your research project or program?
Winners and Finalists
January 2023
Winning Application
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FAQ
The application deadline is Dec 1, 2022. Winners will be announced on Jan 1, 2023.
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Award amounts per winner are designated by the donor. Check the award amount for a detailed breakdown.
The winner will be publicly announced on Jan 1, 2023. Prior to the announcement date, we may contact finalists with additional questions about their application. We will work with donors to review all applications according to the scholarship criteria. Winners will be chosen based on the merit of their application.
Award checks will be sent to the financial aid office of the winner's academic institution in their name to be applied to their tuition, and in the name of their institution (depending on the school's requirements). If the award is for a qualified educational non-tuition expense, we will work with the winner directly to distribute the award and make sure it goes towards qualified expenses.
Before we award the scholarship, the winner will be required to confirm their academic enrollment status. Depending on the circumstances, verification of Student ID and/or their most recent transcript will be required.
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Yes. The terms and conditions for this scholarship can be found here.