PFLAG of Jacksonville Scholarship Program

In 1996, the leadership of PFLAG Jacksonville attended a meeting in New Orleans, where they met a group of young people who benefited from college scholarships. As the leaders returned to Jacksonville, they decided to try to raise funds so that they might offer scholarships for Northeast Florida students.

​Initially, scholarships were $500, but by 2003 fundraising efforts were strong enough to increase the amount to $1,000 per scholarship. Today, PFLAG provides up to $2,000 in unencumbered scholarships to approximately 12 students annually.

​Since its inception, PFLAG Jacksonville has provided more than 345 scholarships totaling more than $430,000.

Applications are reviewed by an independent panel of volunteers and the applicant must have recently lived in or are go to school in Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam or St. Johns counties, have been admitted to a post-secondary school, and have participated in activities to benefit the LGBTQ+ community. They also must be out. “I have counseled students and told them, ‘If you are not out and your parents are not willing to help with your education don’t do this, because we will publicize you and what we can provide is not worth it,’” Frieda said.

Today, the scholarship program provides the primary impetus for PFLAG Jacksonville’s fundraising and the majority of the organization’s expenses.

Enrollment

The Frieda Sarga Scholarship Program is open to any OUT LGBTQ+ individual in Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam, and St. Johns counties who are enrolled in a post-secondary or trade school institution by August 1st of the awarding year.

Full-Time/Part-Time Status

Preference will be given to full-time students (full-time is defined as 12 semester hours or more for undergraduate programs and 9 semester hours or more for graduate programs). In some instances part-time students and those enrolled in continuing education programs may be considered.

​Full-Time Scholarship Award Amount

After meeting the award criteria for each semester's disbursement, awarded scholars will receive two payments.  For awarded scholars that qualify as full-time, they will receive $1,000 for the fall semester and $1,000 for the spring semester.

​Part-Time Scholarship Award Amount

After meeting the award criteria for each semester's disbursement, awarded scholars will receive two payments.  For awarded scholars that qualify as part-time, they will receive $500 for the fall semester and $500 for the spring semester.

​Application Details (School, Major, Etc.)

The application being submitted must match the school you are attending and the major for the classes you are submitting Fall registration for. Any changes to your application, including school or major must be submitted by the application submission deadline June 1, 2025.

​​Application Deadline and More Information

The deadline for submissions is June 1, 2025, any submission after that date will not be considered. If you have any questions or need additional information, please email us at Application@pflagjax.org or call us at 904-737-3329. We look forward to hearing from you.