The Lariat Future Innovators Foundation, a non-profit group geared towards helping students with financial need afford higher education, is accepting applications for its Lariat STEM Scholarship Program. 

The nonproft is looking to grant three awards. The amount to be awarded varies based on the grade level of the winning candidate: up to $30,000 over the span of four years for high school seniors; up to $18,000 over two years for rising college juniors; and $10,000 for rising college seniors.

To be eligible, applicants must live in a rural area (with less than 25,000 in population) in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, or Texas. They also must come from families with less than $55,000 in household income, be between the ages of 18 and 24, and be pursuing a STEM major. A full list of eligible majors can be found here. Those interested must apply before June 15, 2021.

To apply, eligible students must submit their academic scores and SAT/ACT scores, list any academic awards they have received, and write an essay of 500 words or more on either why they have chosen to pursue a degree in STEM or lessons they have learned from their part-time jobs. 

The Lariat Future Innovators Foundation is made up of a small group of current and retired biotech executives, many of whom came from small towns and recognize the challenges that presents for kids. 

“Many students take a bus for 30 minutes or so to get to high school outside their small towns, and this doesn’t necessarily mean they go to anything that could be called a city,” said Jason Wilson, founder of the Lariat Future Innovators Foundation. “Resources are more scarce in these small towns. For instance, there is a lack of libraries and museums. Finally, incomes are generally fairly low in these rural areas.  All these items pose a barrier to entry for students wishing to pursue careers requiring higher education.”

For many members of the nonprofit, this scholarship hits close to home. 

“It was kind of a vision, mainly of Jason’s, after retirement, to do something for kids kind of like us, or maybe slightly less fortunate. We want to be able to give them a leg up and move them forward in their academic careers,” said Keith Ward, a board member of the Lariat Future Innovators Foundation.

2021 is the first year of the Lariat STEM Scholarship program. Over the next 20 years, the nonprofit aims to provide at least 100 scholarships for STEM students with financial need from rural areas. 

To apply for the scholarship, click here.

For more scholarships, use TUN’s Scholarship Search Engine.