A new scholarship from ALSO Youth takes a different approach to helping young people. The Hon. Rick De Furia Enrichment Scholarship, funded by an anonymous gift, will award up to $1,500 a year to one LGBTQ+ young person in Sarasota or Manatee County, and the money is designed for enrichment rather than tuition. That means art or music lessons, professional certifications, leadership development, or career exploration.
Applicants need to be between 10 and 24 years old, live in Sarasota or Manatee County, and take part in ALSO Youth programming. Applications opened September 12, the anniversary of Judge De Furia’s death, and will close October 24, 2026. The scholarship honors a man whose own life refused a single lane: he served on the Sarasota County bench, worked as a professional actor, anchored the news at SNN, and returned to the bench in 2003.
Full details and the application are available at alsoyouth.org/scholarships. If you know a young person who would light up at the chance to study music, earn a certification, or try something entirely new, pass this along.
Do you think more scholarships should fund enrichment instead of tuition? Tell us in the comments.
