PRO-LIFE SCHOLARSHIPS

Want to persuade people to be Pro-Life …  while recieving funding for school?

Apply for the Phillip Baumberger Scholarship today!

Phillip Baumberger Scholars can earn $3,000 per year, up to $12,000 throughout their undergraduate collegiate career while changing hearts and minds on abortion. Apply online today!
CHange minds lIKE erin: aPPLY tODAY!

HOW TO APPLY

Application Deadline: May 31st, 2023

Finalists will be contacted to schedule a phone interview and must submit proof of enrollment. 

Finalists will be notified by June 9th, 2023 by email regarding whether or not they’ve been selected as a scholarship recipient for the Fall 2023 Semester.

Please contact info@abortiondialogueacademy.org with any questions about the Phillip Baumberger Scholarship or the application process.

Read Essay Questions
Submit Online Application
Submit Recommendations

Eligibility

  • Enrolled or intending to enroll during the Fall 2023-Spring 2024 academic year at eligible campuses
    • 2023 Eligible Campuses: Arizona State University 
  • A minimum of either 1-2 years in undergrad remaining; 2 years for students new to ADA, 1 year for students who have volunteered on an ADA Dialogue Team in previous years
  • Able to fulfill the scholarship requirements, as outlined in the Requirements Section
  • Believe abortion kills an innocent person and should therefore be illegal in all circumstances*

* Only exceptions for Life of the Mother situations.  

Requirements

Beginning in August, students will receive the scholarship in three $500 disbursements totaling $1,500 per semester.  Failure to comply with each requirement below will render a student ineligible to receive further funding.

  • Attend summer training (new scholars only): 

New scholars will learn how to persuade pro-choice people using ADA’s 7-minute argument during the all-expenses-paid summer training.

Dates: July 30th-August 6th, 2023 – Omaha, Nebraska

Returning scholars are exempt from this requirement. New scholars that have volunteered on an ADA Dialogue Team in previous years are strongly encouraged to attend summer training, but may be exempt at ADA staff discretion. 

  • Devote 50 hours each semester to ADA Dialogue Team activities, with at least 50% of the hours spent on Campus Outreach. 50 hours per semester is approximately 3.5 hours per week. Eligible activities include:
    • Campus Outreach: Scholars will work one-on-one with ADA staff to survey peers on abortion and use ADA’s 7-minute argument to persuade pro-choice people. Staff will be present to coach and mentor new scholars until they have fully mastered ADA’s apologetics method and are “graduated.” Graduated scholars will then be assigned a partner, typically another “graduated” scholar or volunteer to do outreach with. 
    • Weekly Dialogue Team Meetings: ADA staff will host a 1 hour weekly meeting on campus for all members of the Dialogue Team (scholars and non-scholar volunteers). The purpose of these meetings is to share stories from campus, bond as a group and prepare for upcoming events. 
    • Dialogue trainings hosted by ADA staff: As leaders of the Dialogue Team, scholars will help advertise, recruit and attend dialogue trainings for non-scholar volunteers. All time spent recruiting for these training counts towards scholar hours. 
    • Local ADA events: ADA hosts 3- 1 hour events that qualify for scholar hours. Scholars can obtain additional hours by being a guest speaker at optional ADA presentations. 
    • Miscellaneous opportunities approved by ADA staff
  • Advertise and recruit peers to attend Dialogue Trainings and join the ADA Dialogue Team:

As leaders of the Dialogue Team, scholars help the team succeed by advertising and recruiting people to volunteer in the program.

Note: Non-scholar volunteers are eligible to apply for the scholarship during the following academic year and will be given preferential acceptance based on volunteer involvement during the prior year.

  • Participate in ADA’s “Prayer Team” Program

The “Prayer Team” program is where a team of community members support a particular scholar’s activism through prayer, receive a monthly email update on that scholar’s conversations and have the opportunity to meet that scholar at 2 in-person events. Scholars will be expected to participate in the Prayer Team program, regardless of personal religious views, in the following ways:

  1. Provide stories from campus to ADA staff once a month to be shared with prayer partners
  2. Provide conversation related “prayer requests” to ADA staff for prayer partners once a month. Example- “Have more confidence in conversations” or “Find more open-minded people on campus”
  3. Attend the 1 hour “Prayer Team” kick-off event; scholars will share a story from campus and a prayer request at the event. Prayer partners will then pray for the scholars; scholars are not expected to participate in the prayer other than silently and respectfully being present in the room.

See FAQs for more details on the Prayer Team Program.

 

  • Maintain a 3.0 GPA

 

  • Submit a short reflection form at the end of every academic year offering feedback to improve the Dialogue Team and Scholarship experience.

 

FAQS

Fifty hours a semester sounds like a lot. Is that manageable?
Dividing 50 hours by the number of weeks in a typical semester (excluding holidays and the week of final exams) averages about 3.5 hours a week. Between the weekly team meetings and campus outreach opportunities, it is very easy for scholars to find opportunities to fill their hours. Some weeks will inevitably be busier than others. Likewise, a student may be consumed with studies in a given week and unable to devote any time to pro-life activism. It will usually even out. 
Do I need to be accepted to a university currently to be eligible for this scholarship?
No; we know that some graduating seniors applying to universities won’t receive acceptance letters until after the application deadline. Some students may also be considering studying at non-qualifying schools. As long as you are considering attending a qualifying school, you can apply for the scholarship. However, if you are selected as a finalist, you must show proof of enrollment at a qualifying school to be awarded the scholarship.
What college do I need to attend to qualify for the scholarship?

For the Fall 2023-Spring 2024 semester, we are only accepting new scholars for Arizona State University. Mary College at ASU students are also eligible. The list of eligible schools is expanded upon and updated every year as ADA plants new Dialogue Teams at new campuses.

What do you mean by “application materials”?
Application materials include the online application and 2 recommendation forms found on our website. The application and recommendation forms must be received by 11:59pm on the day of the deadline.
Who can fill out the recommendation form for me?
Each applicant must submit 2 recommendations for 2 different individuals. The two recommendation forms must not be filled out by a relative of the applicant. Some examples of an appropriate recommender would be:

  • Teacher
  • Religious leader
  • Former pro-life employer 
  • Sponsor of schools pro-life club
  • Leader of a pro-life or non-profit organization the applicant has volunteered with

For additional questions on if a particular recommender meets the requirements, please contact info@abortiondialogueacademy.org.

What can I expect from summer training? Why is it mandatory?
At summer training, scholars will learn how to persuade pro-choice students to be pro-life using ADA’s 7-minute argument. Many past participants have persuaded pro-choice people during training to be pro-life! Scholars will leave training with immense pro-life apologetics knowledge and skills and will be well prepared for encountering their pro-choice peers in college. It’s also fun! Scholars will spend the week with like-minded, passionate pro-life peers learning and growing as advocates.
What if I cannot make the summer training?
Summer training is required for new scholars who have never volunteered with ADA and strongly recommended for new scholars who have volunteered on an ADA Dialogue Team in the past. ADA will pay for all the expenses of summer training, including flights, lodging and food. If an applicant cannot attend summer training, they are not eligible for the scholarship. Some conflicts, like a summertime job, will allow students to attend training when it’s explained that the training is a requirement of a college scholarship.
Will there be an extension on the scholarship deadline?
If you have a special circumstance, please contact info@abortiondialogueacademy.org  and ask for an extension and we will consider your circumstances!
What does the selection process entail?
All applications are reviewed by ADA staff. Applicants will be notified by email if they are finalists or not. Finalists are then contacted to schedule a phone interview and must show proof of enrollment. Scholarship recipients are selected after taking into consideration the responses shared on the application and during the interview.
I’m pro-life but I’m not religious or not Christian. Can I still apply?
Yes! The Abortion Dialogue Academy is a secular, educational non-profit. While many ADA staff, volunteers and donors are of the Christian faith, scholars do not need any faith background to participate and religious views are not considered during the selection process. However, scholars must be willing to participate in ADA’s “Prayer Team” program. The “Prayer Team” program is where a team of community members pray for a particular scholar, receive a monthly email update on that scholar’s conversations and have the opportunity to meet that scholar at 2 events. Scholars must agree to be respectful of the prayer volunteers faith, regardless of their own personal beliefs. Scholars will be expected to participate in the prayer team program, regardless of personal beliefs, in the following ways: 

  1. Provide stories from campus to ADA staff once a month to be shared with prayer partners.
  2. Provide conversation related “prayer requests” to ADA staff for prayer partners once a month. Example- “Have more confidence in conversations” or “Find more open-minded people on campus”
  3. Attend the 1 hour “Prayer Team” kick-off event; scholars will share a story from campus and a prayer request at the event. Prayer partners will then pray for the scholars; scholars are not expected to participate in the prayer other than silently and respectfully being present in the room. 

Applicants should only apply for the program if they are confident that they can be respectful of other scholars, volunteers and prayer partners’ religious views and religious differences and can adhere to ADA’s Respect for Religious Differences policy outlined in the Code of Conduct. 

How do I receive the scholarship money?
After successful completion of summer training, scholars will receive the scholarship each semester in three disbursements of $500, totaling $1,500 per semester, $3000 per academic year. Scholars will be paid the disbursements through direct bank deposits. Scholars must have met the eligibility and scholarship requirements at each disbursement milestone to receive the disbursement and to be eligible to receive the next disbursement. ADA expects scholars to earmark this funding for either; tuition, school-mandated fees and/or  mandatory course expenses, such as lab fees, textbooks or equipment. Scholarship funding is only tax-free when spent on the above expenses.
What is ADA?
The Abortion Dialogue Academy (ADA) is a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit whose mission is to end abortion by changing the culture. ADA’s College Conversations Program is an initiative to persuade pro-choice people of the pro-life position through one-on-one conversations. ADA staff creates “Dialogue Teams” of college volunteers who present ADA’s 7-minute pro-life argument to their peers on strategic campuses. Phillip Baumberger Scholars play a key role in the success of a campus “Dialogue Team” by helping staff lead the “Dialogue Teams” on their campus. 
Was your question not answered on the FAQ?

Please contact info@abortiondialogueacademy.org and we will happily answer your question about the scholarship and application process.

READY TO APPLY? 

Application Deadline: May 31st, 2023

Finalists will be contacted to schedule a phone interview and must submit proof of enrollment. 

Finalists will be notified by June 9th, 2023 by email regarding whether or not they’ve been selected as a Scholarship recipient for the Fall 2023 Semester.

Please contact info@abortiondialogueacademy.org with any questions about the Phillip Baumberger Scholarship or the application process.

Read Essay Questions
Submit Online Application
Submit Recommendations