The Lily Pabilona Emerging Entrepreneur Scholarship recognizes Asian American high school, graduate and post-graduate students pursuing a career in entrepreneurship. This scholarship, started in 2016 and generously funded by entrepreneurs Grace and Ranier Pabilona, will provide an amount ranging between $1,000 to $5,000 award for U.S. students attending accredited American universities.  Read more about the Pabilonas and the story behind this scholarship.

Awards: between $1,000-$5,000 award to be applied toward school tuition and fees

General Eligibility Requirements:

• Must be of at least 25% Asian and/or Pacific Islander ethnicity
• Must be a citizen, national or legal permanent resident of the U.S.
• Must be either a high school senior or a college student currently enrolled full-time at an accredited U.S. vocational, junior college, or four-year college/university and must be a full- time, associate/bachelor/master degree seeking student by the upcoming academic calendar year
• Scholarship is open to students of all majors
• Have demonstrated leadership abilities through participation in community service, extracurricular, or other activities
• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (unweighted)
• Family members of Board members are ineligible

Specific Eligibility Requirements:

• Must own and operate a small business
• Must have been in business for at least one year and generating revenue for at least the past six consecutive months
• Must provide a business plan and/or a link to business website along with all relevant social media accounts

Selection Criteria:

• Quality of content submission (essay)
• Applicant’s current business and its potential impact on the economy
• Academic performance
• Leadership/community service experience and contribution
• Letters of recommendation
• Phone/in-person committee interview

Disbursement: Funds will be disbursed directly to the educational institution in the student’s name.

Please note that Scholarship Winners will be required to submit a short 1 minute “thank you” video to be uploaded to our social media.