Nike Scholarships: Empowering Students and Communities

Nike, a global leader in sports apparel and innovation, demonstrates its commitment to fostering educational opportunities and community development through various scholarship programs and initiatives. These programs aim to support students from diverse backgrounds, promote inclusivity, and empower the next generation of leaders.

Nike's Commitment to Social Justice and Equity

At the heart of Nike's scholarship and community initiatives lies a deep commitment to addressing systemic issues and promoting social justice. This commitment is exemplified by Michael Jordan and Jordan Brand’s 10-year, $100 million Black Community Commitment (BCC), which focuses on investing in sustainable solutions to drive systems change in areas such as economic justice, education, narrative change, and social justice.

The Black Community Commitment (BCC)

The BCC reflects a dedication to action and impact, channeling resources towards organizations that are leading the way in creating a world where Black people can thrive. Through institutional grant programs, Nike supports organizations that are revolutionizing education, expanding opportunities for Black filmmakers, driving conversations that confront racism, and building narrative and cultural power to move the nation toward a vision of justice, equity, and opportunity for all.

Partnering with Leading Organizations

Nike collaborates with a diverse range of organizations to maximize its impact on communities and individuals. These partnerships include:

The Center for Black Educator Development: Revolutionizing education by dramatically increasing the number of Black educators so that low-income Black students who need it most can reap the full benefits of quality public education.
The Blackhouse Foundation: Expanding opportunities for Black filmmakers by providing physical gathering venues for constituents at the world’s most prominent film festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival, and encouraging the inclusion of Black filmmakers through support, education, knowledge, and fellowships.
ColorCreative: Driving conversations that confront racism. Their Find Your People program works explicitly to place more diverse talent in roles across the film and entertainment industries. They train department heads to support their engagement with a pipeline of industry professionals of color.
The Opportunity Agenda: A community dedicated to building narrative and cultural power to move our nation toward a vision of justice, equity, and opportunity for all.
StoryCorps: Aiming to preserve and share humanity’s stories to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world. StoryCorps’ newest initiative, Brightness in Black, launching in 2024, will invite every Black American to record, archive, and share stories that expand and reclaim the narrative of the Black experience in America.
Morehouse College’s Journalism and Sports Program: Addressing the lack of Black leadership in sports journalism and athletics by educating and professionally developing students from Morehouse and the Atlanta University Center.
BlackFem: Closing the race and gender wealth gap by mobilizing cities, political systems, culture centers, and educational systems to be the mechanisms through which we maximize the wealth-building capabilities of Black women and women of color, their families, and their communities.
Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT): Advancing racial equality by elevating the career and economic trajectory of people of color and changing employer practices to improve outcomes for all.
The Hidden Genius Project: Training and mentoring Black male youth in technology creation, entrepreneurship, and leadership skills to transform their lives and communities.
YWCA Metropolitan Chicago- TechGYRLS Program: A youth empowerment program designed to raise girls’ interest and confidence in the critical areas of science, technology, engineering, arts & mathematics (STEAM).
National Museum of African American History and Culture: Exploring, documenting, and showcasing the African American story and its impact on American and world history.
Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting: Increasing the ranks, retention, and profile of reporters and editors of color in accountability journalism.
DonorsChoose: Providing a platform for individuals to contribute to public schools and support teacher requests for classroom resources and experiences.
Black Voters Matter (BVM) Capacity Building Institute: Increasing civic engagement and power building in predominantly Black communities.
(LDF): Fighting for racial justice, equality, and an inclusive society.
Formerly Incarcerated Convicted People & Families Movement (FICPFM): A base building civil rights network consisting of civil and human rights organizations led by policy experts, subject matter experts, organizers, thought-leaders, artists, and attorneys who also have conviction histories or are family members who are closely involved with people living with conviction histories.

Specific Nike Scholarship Opportunities

While Nike supports various organizations and initiatives, it also offers specific scholarship opportunities for students pursuing higher education. These scholarships aim to alleviate the financial burden of college and empower students to achieve their academic and professional goals.

Read also: Camp Scholarships Guide

The NIKE HBCU Scholarship

The NIKE HBCU Scholarship is available to graduating high school seniors or current college students attending one of the 10 select HBCUs. This scholarship is designated for full-time enrollment status only. To be eligible, applicants must be United States Citizens or Permanent Residents. Based on previous application cycles, this scholarship is expected to reopen in January 2025.

Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) Scholarship

Nike also supports students attending Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) through merit-based scholarships. An HSI is an institution of higher education with an undergraduate student enrollment that is at least 25 percent Hispanic.

Eligibility Criteria:

Minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent).
Currently enrolled full-time in an accredited, public or not-for-profit, four-year university that is officially designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) - as defined by the Higher Education Act of 1965.
Students who are first-year undergraduates, and who do not have undergraduate grades for summer/fall 2023, must submit their high school transcript in October, if they proceed in the application process. Students who submit a high school transcript must have obtained a minimum cumulative high school GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent).

Application Process:

The application process typically involves two phases. In Phase I, no documents are required for submission. In Phase II, students selected to proceed will be required to submit their undergraduate transcript(s), financial aid award letter, and enrollment verification.

Show Your Swoosh: The Nike Fan Scholarship

The Show Your Swoosh: Nike Fan Scholarship is for students who live, move, and dream in Nike. This scholarship rewards the passion students show by capturing their favorite Nike moment. Nike stores are more than shops-they’re temples for sneakerheads, athletes, and style legends. So Nike wants to celebrate the real fans by getting them back in store and spotlighting their picks.

Additional Scholarship Resources

Students seeking financial assistance for college can explore various online platforms and resources that provide access to a wide range of scholarship opportunities.

Read also: Benefits of NSHSS Scholarships

ScholarshipOwl

ScholarshipOwl is a platform that simplifies the scholarship application process by matching students with relevant scholarships and providing a centralized application system. Students can create an account, get matched to scholarships, and earn scholarships.

The Nike Community Impact Fund

The Nike Community Impact Fund (NCIF) was established at Oregon Community Foundation in 2010. Through this fund, Nike employees work with OCF to award funds to nonprofits and schools in the Metropolitan Portland region, the Northern Willamette Valley and in southwest Washington to give youth positive experiences in sport and physical activity, and advance healthier, supportive and more inclusive communities. NCIF helps local organizations bring the benefits of sport to their communities, giving kids an opportunity to enjoy the benefits of quality play and active lives, and creating stronger communities where sports and physical activity are a highly-valued part of everyday life. Applications are accepted from organizations that are a 501(c)(3) public charity; an IRC 7871 Federally Recognized Indian Tribe; or a government entity. Organizations must be serving at least one of the following ten counties: Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, Yamhill, Columbia, Linn, Benton, Marion, and Polk Counties in Oregon and Clark County in SW Washington.

Read also: Scholarship Guide

tags: #nike #scholarships