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2025 Application | Missouri Courage Scholarship
Due March 1, 2025 - Missouri Courage Scholarship (MCS) and our partner organizations award scholarships to graduating seniors from Missouri high schools pursuing higher education. Applications will be comprehensively evaluated on a variety of metrics including academic achievement, school involvement, community engagement, diversity, demonstrations of courage, and commitment to enhancing the lives of LGBTQ individuals and working toward social justice. Scholarships are paid directly to the accredited college/university/vocational school of their choice, where they must be enrolled as a full-time student. Applicants' information will only be shared with scholarship committee members of MCS and partner organizations.

MCS has awarded over $250,000 since 2015. Awards range from $500-$2000. If you have questions or difficulty accessing the application, please email admin@courage-scholarship.org. MCS may request additional information to help us determine final award recipients (e.g., transcript, FAFSA information, etc). See details of specific awards at the bottom of this application.

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Email *
Student Information
First name *
Last name *
Preferred name, if applicable
Email Address *
MCS communicates with applicants and award recipients via email, so please provide an address that you check often and will be accessible AFTER you graduate.
Phone Number *
What's the best number to reach you via text and call?
Are you a Missouri resident? *
MCS awards are only available to seniors graduating from a Missouri high school. You can be a resident in another state as long as you graduate from a high school in Missouri.
Address Line 1 *
Where you live currently
Address Line 2
Where you live currently
City *
Where you live currently
Zip Code *
e.g., 65560
In what Missouri COUNTY do you live? (NOT country) *
e.g., Cass County, Jackson County; residents of St. Louis City can put St. Louis City. DO NOT write United States or US
What Missouri high school will you be graduating from this year? *
e.g., Salem High School
What is your current cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA)? *
e.g., 3.15
What GPA scale does your high school use? *
Most use a 4.0 scale. If you don't know, ask your guidance counselor or a teacher
Please describe your gender and sexuality: *
 (e.g., gay trans man, pansexual genderqueer, lesbian woman, straight cisgender woman, etc.)
Please describe your racial/ethnic identity(ies):
(e.g., Black/African American, Asian American, Mixed, Caucasian, etc.)
College/University/School Information
Please provide information about the college or university that you plan to attend. MCS requires applicants to be graduating from a Missouri high school, but MCS awards can be used at any accredited college, university, or technical/trade school in the U.S. or internationally.
What college, university, technical or trade school are you planning to attend this Fall? *
(e.g., University of Missouri - Saint Louis)  If you don't know, you can add the ones you're considering
What state is that school in?
What degree will you be pursuing? *
What is your intended major in college? *
If you don't know, that's ok! Just type "undecided"
Have you completed the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)? *
Not sure how to fill out the FAFSA form? Feel free to contact us at admin@courage-scholarship.org for resources.
Involvement
Please provide information on your campus and community involvement.
Please list the school clubs/organizations you've been involved in and any community involvement you've had outside of school. Please include how long you've been involved, and any leadership positions you've held in those organizations.
e.g., Science Club, Fall 2019-Spring 2023 - Treasurer 2021-22; Little Paws Animal Shelter, 1 year, dog walker/general volunteer
Essays and Short Answers
Applicants' answers to the following questions are weighted most heavily in the application review process. Applications undergo a blind evaluation by scholarship committee members after identifying information (e.g., applicant name, etc.) is removed. Please note that identifying information mentioned in essays will not be removed.
ESSAY 1: Courage takes on different shapes and meanings to each of us. What does courage mean to you and how have you demonstrated courage on behalf of yourself or others? *
Max 400 words
ESSAY 2: How have you enhanced the lives of LGBTQ people or other marginalized groups and worked toward social justice? What specific knowledge, skills, and abilities do you have or want to develop that can be used to address social inequities and systemic challenges? *
Max 400 words
SHORT ANSWER 1: If you could change or create one Missouri law, what would it be and why? *
Max 100 words
Outreach
MCS strives to reach students in every corner of the state. So that we can improve our outreach efforts, please answer a few quick questions.
How did you hear about the MCS Scholarship? *
Please choose all that apply
Required
Do you currently like MCS on Facebook or follow on Instagram? (These are great sources for the latest updates on our scholarships!) *
2025 MCS Awards
Missouri Courage Award (MCA) is for Missouri students who have demonstrated commitment (or show great potential) to work for change in their community to advance the lives of LGBTQ people or impact other social justice causes.

Rural Courage Award (RCA) is for students residing in rural Missouri communities who meet the MCA award qualifications. Students from Dent County, Missouri will be given preference in the RCA selection process.

Trans Courage Award (TCA) is for transgender or non-binary students who also meet the MCA award qualifications.

Pay It Forward Award (PFA) is for student athletes who intend to major in political science or related field.

Fortier Courage Award (FCA) is a special award in honor of Shirley Fortier and is for students who intend to major in education.

Tower Grove Pride Courage Award for students from the St. Louis City area.

Miss Gay City of Columbia Courage Award is for students from the Columbia area.

Colin Murphy Courage Award is a special award in honor of Colin Murphy, a prominent LGBTQ journalist in the St. Louis area. It is for students who intend to major in journalism.


To learn more about the awards and eligibility, visit http://courage-scholarship.org/Scholarships.
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