Apply
Deadline to be announced. Tell us about your program, your financial situation, and what you'll bring back. 2.5 GPA minimum. No recommendation letters.
The gap between you
and study abroad
can be $20,000.
We close it.
Wandering With Pride Inc. funds study abroad grants for LGBTQ+ students at U.S. colleges who can't afford to go. This round: awards up to $5,000. As funding grows, awards for longer programs can reach $20,000. Sized to your real program costs. No loans. No repayment.
Why this scholarship exists
Study abroad changes careers. It expands networks, adds language skills, and signals ambition on every resume. It also costs $20,000 — and for low-income LGBTQ+ students, that number often ends the conversation before it begins. When financial aid doesn't cover international programs and family safety nets don't exist, a gap year becomes a closed door.
Wandering With Pride was built to open it.
Built by someone who has done this before
The founder has managed $17M in grant programs. This one is personal.
$17M
Federal grants managed across 50+ organizations
50+
Organizations funded and served
$4.5M
Annual grants reviewed for fiscal compliance
Michael Eisinger has spent over 13 years running complex programs for large nonprofits — including a $17M federal initiative that distributed funding to 50+ organizations and served 15,000 people across the United States. At JFNA's Center for Advancing Holocaust Survivor Care, he built the grant management platform from scratch, reviewed $4.5M in annual grants for fiscal compliance, and wrote the RFP process that ran the program for three consecutive years.
"The credentials aren't the point. The point is that someone with this background chose to build a scholarship instead of another consulting firm."
Three steps
Apply. Be reviewed. Travel.
Review
A jury of advisors reviews every application against published criteria. We score on financial need, program fit, and demonstrated intent — not GPA, not school prestige.
Travel
Selected scholars receive an award applied directly toward program costs: up to $5,000 this round. This round funds one scholarship (more if we raise more). We'll post the final number before applications close. No loans. No repayment.
For donors and grant-makers
Be the reason a queer student goes.
Gifts to the scholarship fund go to scholarship awards for real students. We are 501(c)(3) verified. Your contribution is tax-deductible. And because we are pre-launch, early donors shape the first cohort — the one that sets the standard for everything that follows.