PFLAG Cincinnati's
Tom & Marie Jenkins Memorial Scholarship Program
Our 2026 application is now open!
Each year PFLAG Cincinnati offers scholarships to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other gender and sexual minoritiy (LGBTQ+) students and their allies residing in or attending college in the greater Cincinnati area.
The scholarship awards are a reflection of PFLAG’s commitment to a world where diversity is celebrated and all people are respected, valued, and affirmed, inclusive of their sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.
The Cincinnati Chapter of PFLAG will recognize outstanding individuals who show a high level of involvement within the LGBTQ+ community while demonstrating academic success and leadership. Click on the purple button below to learn more.
Since the program’s inception in 1992, PFLAG has awarded over $252,000 in scholarships to 171 talented and deserving LGBTQ+ students and their allies. In 2021, the scholarship was renamed to the Tom & Marie Jenkins Memorial Scholarship in recognitian of Tom & Marie's lasting impact on PFLAG Cincinnati and the LGBTQ+ community in the greater Cincinnati area.
Applicants are reviewed by the PFLAG Scholarship Committee. Awardees are announced during Pride month and awarded at a PFLAG meeting in June or July.
Read the information at this link first for purpose, eligibility, terms and application deadline.
Three application options:
Fill out, upload files, submit online, edit responses if needed
Download, fill out, & mail in
Make a copy, fill out, & mail in
PFLAG Cincinnati Awards Four 2025 Tom & Marie Jenkins Memorial Scholarships
PFLAG Cincinnati's Tom & Marie Jenkins Memorial Scholarship Program 2025 Annual Awards program awarded $2,000 each to deserving young leaders: Christian Caffey, Ursula Cherry, Elliot Kershaw, and Hunter Staton.
Christian Caffey is a student at the University of Cincinnati majoring in Criminal Justice, with a minor in Communications, and a certificate in Legal Studies. He served as a PRISM Mentor at UC’s LGBTQ+ Center, leading peer support groups, mentoring new student leaders, and helping coordinate campus-wide events that center inclusion, identity exploration, and belonging. He also has taken on additional leadership responsibilities, including strengthening collaboration between the LGBTQ+ Center and the African American Cultural & Resource Center.
Ursula Cherry will attend Ithica College in the Fall. She served as President of her school’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance. During her leadership, she helped organize solidarity week celebrations and guest speakers. She has also reached out and led the group’s participation in outside community events, in order to gain exposure for the group. Through her leadership, she has helped students find a place where they can be themselves, and be part of a community.
Elliot Kershaw will be attending the University of Minnesota this fall to study Computer Science. They want to show the next generation of LGBTQ+ youth that they can succeed in the STEM fields, particularly computer science. They created an LGBTQ+ found family group chat for them and other teenagers from around the world to talk about their lives, and to give and receive support from one another. They also designed their own website from scratch advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, and they used this platform to show that a career in computer science could be used to uplift the LGBTQ+ community.
Hunter Staton will attend Southern New Hampshire University this fall. He has taken the initiative and worked hard to be a visible, affirming leader. At his current company, he organized his company’s involvement in Cincinnati Pride and organized an educational event focused on the history and significant of Pride, among other activities. To recognize his efforts, Hunter was the recipient of his company’s “Present’ award, an internal recognition for individuals who above and beyond to foster inclusion and community.
From left to right: Salem Holden, Gail Blanco, and Leo Fowler