Freedom Scholars
The Freedom Scholars awards fund research advancing equity and justice by supporting scholars whose work empowers historically marginalized communities.
Funder: Marguerite Casey Foundation
Due Dates (Anticipated): June 2026
Funding Amounts: $250,000 per scholar (one-time, unrestricted award)
Summary: Supports academic research and scholarship that shifts societal power to historically excluded communities.
Key Information: Invitation-only; no open nominations or applications accepted.
Description
The Freedom Scholars awards, launched by the Marguerite Casey Foundation in 2020, recognize and support scholars whose research advances social movements focused on equity, justice, and shifting the balance of power toward marginalized communities. The award provides significant, unrestricted funding to scholars whose work is aligned with the foundation's mission to empower those historically excluded from societal benefits and influence. Research areas supported include, but are not limited to, feminist prison abolition, global urbanism, alternatives to movement capture, Indigenous erasure, and militarized policing—fields that often lack traditional funding opportunities.
