Scholarship & Internship Opportunities
Achievement Is Our Legacy
Achievement Is Our Legacy
DREF awards scholarships and internship opportunities to student applicants entering college or continuing their academic programs. Students must meet both academic and community service requirements. Learn about application guidelines and submission dates.
The 2025-2026 application period begins November 15, 2024. The application deadline is April 1, 2025!
Ruby Dee (1922-2014) was an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and civil rights activist. She is noted for originating the role of Ruth Younger in the stage and film versions of A Raisin in the Sun. Her other notable film roles included The Jackie Robinson Story and Do the Right Thing. Ms. Dee and her husband Ossie Davis, the late actor, director, poet, playwright, and civil rights activist, were also known for their pioneering work in African-American theatre and courageous civil rights activism. Ms. Dee was an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and served as honorary co-chairperson of the Sorority’s National Commission on Arts and Letters.
The Ruby Dee Legacy of Sisterhood Endowed Chair Scholarship is made possible by a generous donation to the Delta Research and Educational Foundation (DREF), by Dr. Francene Breakfield and L. Denise Wells, a longtime member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the Co-Authors of An Anthology of Sisterhood.
The $1,000 merit-based scholarship will be awarded annually to a deserving African-American female student who is either a junior or senior collegiate or a graduate student majoring in English, Literature, Drama, Art, Music, African-American Studies, Communications, Education, Fine Arts, Performing Arts, Visual Arts.
Applicants must meet the following guidelines:
Questions? Send email to: RubyDeeScholarship@deltafoundation.net
The Delta Research and Educational Foundation (DREF), under the auspices of its Center for Research on African American Women (The Center), established the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Social Justice Institute. Currently, the STJ Institute offers an annual summer internship for young women to work in the U.S. Congress. The STJ Internship is presented in collaboration with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.
The intensive nine-week summer internship program offers the opportunity for college students from across the nation to learn about the legislative process, leadership and careers in policymaking. Interns work in CBC member offices, attend professional development events, and participate in leadership development projects. The program prepares young people to become informed decision-makers and influential leaders who shape our world.
The Stephanie Tubbs Jones Intern will also attend select programs and events sponsored by DREF in addition to full participation in the CBCF Congressional Internship Program.
Benefits of the Internship Program
Qualifications
Selection Process
Questions? Send email to: STJInternship@deltafounation.net
The Oleta Lawanda Crain Scholarship will be awarded to three deserving female students graduating from high school in 2024 and who reside in the states of Colorado, Missouri, or Oklahoma. The scholarship will be awarded to one female student per state in the amount of $2,000. The applicant must have a 3.0 average on a 4.0 scale. Each scholarship recipient must be accepted for enrollment at a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) for the fall semester following their high school graduation. Additionally, the applicant must have demonstrated community service and leadership at their high school and in their community.
The Oleta Lawanda Crain Scholarship is made possible by a generous donation to the Delta Research and Educational Foundation by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority member Oleta Lawanda Crain, who resided in Denver, Colorado. Ms. Crain, a retired major in the U.S. Air Force and former regional administrator of the Women’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor, died in 2007 at age 94. She led a groundbreaking career—a pioneer for women in the military, she was the first African American woman from Colorado to join the armed forces in 1942. She was one of three Black women, among 300 nationally, to enter officers’ training during World War II. When first joining the military, she entered the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) and later transferred to the U.S. Air Force. After a 20-year military career, Ms. Crain began a second career with the U.S. Department of Labor, working to advance the rights of women and minorities.
Oleta Lawanda Crain was born in Earlsboro, Seminole County, Oklahoma and grew up in Wewoka, Oklahoma. She studied for three years at Langston University in Oklahoma and transferred to Lincoln University in Missouri, where she earned a B.A. Degree in Social Science. She also earned two additional bachelor’s degrees and a master’s degree.
Questions? Send email to: OletaLCrainScholarship@deltafoundation.net
The Eula Dean Roby Scholarship will be awarded to students majoring in elementary education. Applicant must be a high school graduating senior or a collegiate student with a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale. Applicant must be pursuing a major in education. April 1, 2024, is the deadline for submitting the application packet (application, transcript, recommendation letters, and a 500-word essay expressing why they are pursuing a career in education). The scholarship award announcement will be made in June.
The Eula Dean Roby Scholarship is made possible by a generous donation to the Delta Research and Educational Foundation by Eula Dean Roby, a longtime member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and retired educator, who resided in Southern California. Mrs. Roby passed in 2013.
Questions? Send email to: EulaDeanRobyScholarship@deltafoundation.net