Make Your Gaia U Dream A Reality
For some folks, affording higher education is not an issue. For others, huge barriers exist to earn a degree. We want to eliminate those barriers because Gaia University is committed to the Permaculture Ethics of Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share.
This scholarship fund deepens our commitment to bring the Fair Share ethic – equitable distribution of resources – to folks (like you?) that need a boost to turn a dream into a reality.
Partial Scholarships Available
Gaia U offers partial scholarships and worktrades of up to 60% to help students from economically challenging backgrounds to access transformative higher education. We also offer support for students to fundraise the remaining cost of their tuition. We highly recommend that those students who have access to social, experiential and material capital in their family, local and online community and surrounds consider a fundraising / part-time work approach first, or in conjunction with a smaller scholarship.
Full scholarships may be offered on an exceptional basis to worldchangers of great merit from war torn or economically degraded places where it would be otherwise impossible to raise financial capital. Typically these scholarships are by invitation only from Gaia U, but please indicate in the application form if you believe this to be the case for yourself, or contact us if you wish to nominate an exceptional case. We believe that most people have more resources than they realise and we all have an opportunity to contribute to the development of Gaia U. Note that these are exceptions and we do not accept full scholarship applications from people in the developed world or who have relative access to wealth or fundraising.
While we offer support for people from all walks of life to mobilise their existing resources and wish to create an economically equitable future; we ask that all scholarship applicants do so from a place of collaboration and co-creation.
Scholarship applications to Gaia U are competitive and awarded on a needs and merit basis. We do not seek out corporate or government funding for our scholarships in order to maintain our autonomy over our world-changing programs. It is therefore up to you as an applicant and potential Fellow to seek ways to contribute back to the financial viability of Gaia U so that we may continue to offer scholarships to our growing community. Becoming a Climate Change Steward Fellow is an exciting way for you to get involved in the inner workings of Gaia U as you will be called on to participate, contribute and share in ways which strengthen our community. We may require worktrades in our fundraising, website, outreach and marketing teams in order to compensate for the value of your scholarship. Highlighting any skills and experience you have in these areas will increase the chances of your scholarship being accepted.
If you are awarded a partial scholarship, Gaia U will invite you to join hands with us on your first action-learning adventure to crowdfund the remainder of your tuition. We’ll connect you to resources that allow you to access your existing social capital (friends, family & colleagues) as an experiment in modern-day mutual aid. Modest amounts from the many can be powerful & practical ways to help us actualize our dreams.
Right now, you can also direct family and friends to donate to the scholarship fund & the majority of their contribution will be earmarked just for you. You’ll have the support and encouragement of other scholarship recipients & the Gaia U team to share best practices and inside tips on effective methods of crowdfunding while you are in the process.
See here how much you can save at the different levels of scholarships available.
Is Gaia U Right for You?
If you are engaged in a project(s) that falls within the Permaculture Ethics, of Earth Care, People Care & Fair Share chances are that our aims are compatible. Your application includes a one on one interview where we can further evaluate if our deep dive programs is compatible with your goals and lifestyle –now or in the future.
How to Apply for a Scholarship
Apply for your scholarship by filling out the form below. Remember to submit both a scholarship application and your program application form. All applications are subject to a $25 administration fee (reduced from $50 for scholarship applicants). Applications received without a program application or without the admin fee will not be considered. In exceptional circumstances, we may waive this fee if it is impossible for you to pay it. We encourage applicants to contact us directly in order to negotiate around any difficulties you may have in applying.