For LGBTQ+ students seeking a trade, 200 new scholarships are coming

For a student learning to become an electrician, mechanic, or healthcare worker, tuition may be only part of the bill. Tools, books, and fees can stand between a promising career and the training it requires. A new scholarship program will help LGBTQ+ and ally students meet those costs through local community centers.Point Foundation and CenterLink are launching a program that will fund 200 career and technical education scholarships, The Advocate has learned. Centers and organizations in CenterLink’s network of more than 350 members will award them to students in their communities.The arrangement connects Point’s national scholarship funding with centers that already help people find training and work. In research conducted by Point and the Williams Institute, 40.5 percent of LGBTQ+ people of color surveyed said they had received very little or no information about financial aid. Centers in CenterLink’s network may offer career counseling, job readiness training, and connections to employers and education programs.Related: Point Foundation awards most scholarships everRecipients can use the scholarships for eligible programs at community colleges, accredited trade and technical schools, adult education centers, and other approved institutions. The awards can help cover tuition, tools, books, and fees.“Our community centers understand the barriers LGBTQ+ people face because they see them every day,” CenterLink CEO Denise Spivak said in a statement. “This partnership gives centers another practical way to help people build careers and achieve greater financial stability.”The program arrives as more students pursue vocational education. Enrollment at public two-year colleges with a strong vocational focus was nearly 20 percent higher in spring 2025 than in spring 2020, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.Point already offers scholarships for vocational and trade education, along with mentorship and leadership development. “E