Our 2025 Scholarship Period is Now Closed
To be notified when the application period opens for 2026, join our mailing list here.
You can find general information about our scholarship process below.
The Highlights Foundation Scholarship Program
Since the earliest days of the Highlights Foundation, we’ve offered scholarships for writers and illustrators to attend our workshops. It’s a tenet of the work we do here.
While the program has grown and evolved, its focus on our mission has remained: to positively impact children by amplifying the voices of storytellers who inform, educate, and inspire children to become their best selves.
“Do Something With It”
When Crystal Allen received a scholarship and attended her first workshop with the Highlights Foundation in 2005, she tried to thank Kent (our founder) when she met him. He appreciated the sentiment, but was more concerned with how she’d use her scholarship from the Foundation to inspire kids. He asked her simply to “Do something with it.”
And that she did.
Now she’s the author of more than seven books for children, and teaches on our faculty. She paid it forward with a donation to our scholarship fund in 2019.
How the Highlights Foundation Scholarship Program Works
The Highlights Foundation offers scholarships each year, including General and Special named Scholarships.
The general scholarship fund and special scholarships are supported by Highlights Foundation supporters who believe in the organization’s mission: to positively impact children by amplifying the voices of storytellers who inform, educate, and inspire children to become their best selves. Select named funds also support our general scholarships, honoring those who have had a significant impact on children’s literature.
Several awards are also sponsored by organizations who have partnered with the Highlights Foundation to make scholarships available.
The application period opens yearly, and awards are based on the following criteria:
- seriousness of purpose, including time and effort devoted to craft,
- talent displayed via a writing or art sample,
- and financial need.
Scholarship Success Stories
Scholarship Recipient Christine Hartman Derr Thrives at Native Creatives Retreat
Highlights Foundation Invests in 55 Storytellers to Support Their Work to Inspire Kids
With Scholarship Help, Varsha Seshan Expanded Her Verse Novel Horizons
