Our Spirited Pearls Foundation Scholarship Program was established to assist in financial support of African American high school seniors who aspire to continue their education at an institution of higher learning. Awards are based on evaluation qualifiers, which include cumulative scholastic results, academic references, documented community service and a written response to one essay question on a topic relating to current issues or events.

Scholarship DEADLINE 11:59pm CST on Friday, April 24, 2026.

In addition, all supplementary documents must be emailed to the scholarship chairperson at scholarship@spiritedpearlsfoundation.org by the same stated deadline for consideration.

Spirited Pearls Foundation Scholarship

This scholarship program targets students who:

  • Have achieved a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 (on 4.0 scale) or 4.0 (on 5.0 scale)
  • Will enroll at an institution of higher learning upon graduation
  • Documented community service hours completed during their high school years that meet our requirements. If the number of service hours are not included for each activity, credit will not be given.
  • Attend a high school located in one of the following areas: Aurora, Batavia, Bolingbrook, Lisle, Naperville, Plainfield, Oswego, Romeoville, St. Charles, Warrenville, West Chicago, Wheaton

2026 Application Form Click Here

TnT Legacy Scholarship

To be eligible for the TnT Legacy Scholarship the student must:

  • Be an African American male or female
  • Attend a high school in the Chicagoland area including the suburbs
  • Pursue a degree in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, The Arts, and Math)
  • Have a minimum cumulative GPA of at least 2.7 (on 4.0 scale) and a maximum cumulative GPA of 3.2 (on 4.0 scale)
  • Submit a 500-word essay on how you balance school and other responsibilities (e.g family commitments, work, volunteering, extracurricular) while attending high school
  • Submit  two (2) signed letters of recommendation

The Scholarship is $2468 annually and will be renewable as long as these requirements are met:

  •        2.7 cumulative GPA
  •        20 hours of community service or voter engagement activities per year

2026 Application Form Click Here

Glenda M. Blakemore Memorial Scholarship

To be eligible for the Glenda M. Blakemore Memorial Scholarship, the students must:

  • Be an African American female
  • Be a current college student- preferably attending Northern Illinois University or Aurora University, majoring in Social Work
  • Have a minimum GPA of 2.75 on 4.0 scale
  • Submit their resume
  • Submit two (2) signed letters of recommendation from someone from their college (professor, advisor, on-campus employer) who can speak to their campus involvement or academic involvement within the School of Social Work
  • Submit a 250 word minimum typed essay in response to the following question:
    • How do you plan on using your degree in Social Work to uplift or empower Black women in your community?

2026 Application Form Click Here

       If you have any questions please contact the scholarship chair at scholarship@spiritedpearlsfoundation.org.

Congratulations!

2024 Scholarship Recipients

In Their Own Words…

Peyton Miller

Rachel Banjo