Scholarships: A Call to Action

As a graduate student, funding your education can involve a combination of side job hustling, numerous applications, Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), scholarships, and crossing your fingers. All of these have one thing in common: action! Although some scholarships are the result of SEAS faculty nomination, the majority of scholarships are student-initiated and pursued. At the University of Michigan and the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), funding options are diverse and can be transformational. It is easy to get bogged down in the process of navigating scholarship requirements, expectations can be challenging, and securing one seems far-fetched. However, we are here to assure you that many Next-Gen scholars have been the recipients of generous and uplifting awards, many of which have made their educational journey possible. (See Specialized Scholarship Programs)

Preparation

Our weekly Next-Gen Lunch ‘n’ Learns incorporate preparatory tools and training skills that can help students fashion personal statements, learn and practice how to recruit faculty and community support that fosters accountability and peer-to-peer solidarity. Students are often challenged by the necessity of self-reflection and storytelling as they fashion their applications in alignment with each scholarship's mission and expectations. Next-Gen peers are excited and available to ideate and help craft scholarship materials! 

As students build relationships with educators and mentors at SEAS, expressing needs and applicable scholarship opportunities can alleviate the normal nerves that might exist when asking for guidance. Sweetland Writing Center and several generous faculty collaborators are more than prepared to help refine and review applications and any other writing materials you might be generating! Don’t forget to make an appointment with a student center funding advisor! Many of our Next-Gen Scholars received a competitive Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) Award, demonstrating Next-Gen students’ desire to serve and support their faculty and peers.

Next-Gen Scholarship Short List

Here is a short list of scholarships and awards Next-Gen Scholars have received in the past. Knowledge of and resources for these awards are not only the product of student investigation but also the guidance of faculty, support staff, and student center collaboration. Awards listed are a cross-section of University-wide and SEAS funding opportunities and are non-exhaustive, as we expect the list of Next-Gen students awarded to grow. 

Next-Gen Students have been honored with these awards:

Americorps Funding

Dow Sustainability Fellowship

Erb Merit Awards

Library Mini-Grant 

Peter and Carolyn Mertz Fellowship

Rackham Merit Fellowship Program 

Rackham Non-Traditional Fellowship

SEAS Carroll B. Williams Black Excellence Award 

Tischman Catalyst Fellowship for Environmental Justice

Veteran's Tuition Benefits-  Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33)

Wyss Fellows Program.

Behavior, Education, and Communication (BEC) Awards:

The William B. Stapp Award for Excellence 

Center for the Education of Women+ (CEW+):

Irma M. Wyman Scholars 

Luera-Apgar Sustainability Scholar 

Margaret Dow Towsley Scholars 

Landscape Architecture Awards:

Fred and Helen Arbuckle Scholarship in Landscape Architecture 

Landscape Architecture Alumni Award 

Paul L. Strauch "Spirit of the Studio" Award 

Ray Marshall Rowe Memorial Award 

Terry J. and Janice Brown Award 

William and Mabel Jackson Award

William J. Johnson Award 

Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum Awards: 

The Nanette R. LaCross Prize  

The William D. Drake Prize

Next-Gen Awards (Needs-based):   

Inaugural Next-Gen scholarships 

SEAS Honors Awards: 

Community Impact Catalyst Award

The Charles Lathrop Pack Foundation Award

The SEAS Class of 2023 Scholarship Fund

Fellowships

Climate Justice Movement Midwest Catalysts Fellow 

Law School Fellowships (can vary)

Additional Resources for Next-Gen Scholars who have committed their time to our community:

At present (Winter ‘26), our Next-Gen resource, Kristy Ferraro, SEAS presidential postdoctoral fellow, has offered her writing/editing assistance to Next-Gen Scholars with their funding proposals and applications. She can be contacted at [email protected]. We also want to acknowledge the generous assistance that SEAS Associate Professor Brian Weeks has provided for Next-Gen scholars and programs in the fall of 2025. We look forward to his return post-sabbatical! 

If you are drawn to particular awards and the application process, feel free to contact us ([email protected] or [email protected]), and we can connect you with students who have been successful in securing educational funding. We are here to support you in any way possible.