Equitable Excellence{sm} Scholarship Empowers High School Graduates to be a Force for Good
Enhanced program includes renewable scholarships and engagement programs to create more pathways to opportunity for aspiring college students. Application for 2022 now open through December 17.
October 14, 2021
Media Contacts:
(212) 314-2010
mediarelations@equitable.com
NEW YORK – October 14, 2021 – Equitable, a leading financial services organization and principal franchise of Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EQH), today announced a call for applications for its 2022 Equitable Excellencesm Scholarship, designed to inspire and empower graduating high school seniors to be a force for good in their communities while investing in their future.
Now in its 19th year, the program has been enhanced to expand scholarship and engagement opportunities in support of students pursuing post-secondary education to achieve their dreams.
The 2022 scholarship is now open for applications and has a renewed focus to recognize students who show potential by demonstrating the qualities of leadership, determination and resilience as critical enablers of their future success.
“We have expanded and evolved the Equitable Excellence scholarship program to provide greater impact and even more support where students today need it most,” said Nick Lane, President of Equitable. “While the journey for many can be hard in normal times, we also realize there are specific challenges compounded by the ongoing pandemic, which we are addressing through sustained engagement. The new scope of this important program is not just about preparing our nation’s young people for college, rather overall career readiness.”
Equitable Excellence is the flagship program of Equitable Foundation, the company’s charitable-giving arm.
In alignment with Equitable’s own mission of helping people achieve financial security so that they can face the future with confidence, the Equitable Excellence Scholarship places an emphasis on empowering students’ future plans so that they can continue to have positive impacts in their community.
New for this year and to support students throughout their academic journeys, Equitable will provide 100 $5,000 annual scholarships that will be renewed to award recipients each academic year for four years, for a total of $20,000 per recipient. The company will also award 100 one-time $2,500 scholarships that can help students to underwrite immediate costs associated with higher education such as tuition, books or room and board.
Graduating high school seniors can apply by submitting an essay describing how they exhibit courage in pursuing what’s possible, display strength in managing challenges and share wisdom with others.
The Equitable Excellence Scholarship is supported through new strategic partnerships between Equitable and Scholarship America, CommonApp and the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) to help increase equity, reduce barriers and close racial gaps in private scholarships that support college access for many young people. Research confirms that first generation students and students of color are significantly less likely to be awarded scholarships. New programs will provide curated, user-friendly information to educators so that they may empower their students with greater access to financial aid tools that streamline the application process.
“Through our collaboration with NCAN and Common App, we want to help address inequities in college affordability and close gaps in postsecondary attainment for all students,” Lane added. “Together, we have a shared vision to level the playing field for more students and help ensure the $6 billion available through scholarships in the U.S. each year is awarded equitably to enable more young people to attend college and pursue their dreams.”
In addition to providing monetary scholarships, Equitable plans to offer award recipients with development opportunities and engagement programs to support their onboarding into their first year of college. This will include mentoring, networking and professional skill-building programs with Equitable’s own workforce and executive leadership teams.
Applications for the 2022 program are being accepted online through December 17.
About Equitable
Equitable, a principal franchise of Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EQH), has been one of America’s leading financial services providers since 1859. With the mission to help clients secure their financial well-being, Equitable provides advice, protection and retirement strategies to individuals, families and small businesses. Equitable has more than 8,000 employees and Equitable Advisors financial professionals and serves 2.8 million clients across the country. Please visit equitable.com for more information. “Equitable” refers exclusively to Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company (NY, NY). Equitable Advisors is the brand name of Equitable Advisors, LLC (Equitable Financial Advisors in MI and TN).
