Point Foundation Announces New Educational and Internship Opportunities for LGBTQ Students

Donors are increasing their support for Point Foundation, the nation's largest scholarship-granting organization for LGBTQ students.

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- After surveying lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer students post-election, Point Foundation found that 91% of Point Scholars feel that LGBTQ rights are now at greater risk. Their fears are not unfounded, as 2025 has already seen critical resources removed from campuses across the country and broader attacks on hard-fought LGBTQ rights.

With diminishing resources available for LGBTQ Americans attempting to succeed in higher education – while already facing more obstacles than their peers – help is needed to support the younger generations of LGBTQ advocates picking up the mantle to protect and advance LGBTQ communities.

Many donors have stepped up to support Point Foundation's mission to empower LGBTQ students to succeed in postsecondary education. We're excited to announce the following new scholarship and internship opportunities that will be made available to LGBTQ students:

The Richard W. Kadel and Carl F. Gerhardt, Jr. Scholarship

Richard Kadel & Carl Gerhardt enjoyed a multi-decade partnership and marriage with a fierce bond of love. Amongst his many varied interests and accomplishments, Richard was a world-renowned small particle physicist, primarily working at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. Carl devoted his life to supporting health care for all who needed it in the city at the San Francisco Department of Social Services, the Office of Vital Records, and at the Tom Waddell Health Clinic.

Through their estate, the couple has extended their impact beyond their lifetimes by providing a four-year scholarship in perpetuity for students attending Yale University. This scholarship is awarded during Point's regular selection cycle for four-year undergraduate scholarships.

The Kadel and Gerhardt Internships

HIV disproportionately impacts the LGBTQ community, and with the possibility of decreased support for vital research and programs, it's more important than ever that we embrace every opportunity to nurture experts in HIV/AIDS. Already, lack of access to affordable, culturally competent care and continued pervasive stigma around HIV status and disclosure are two of several barriers to addressing the continued spread of HIV/AIDS. Point will tackle these and other barriers through The Kadel and Gerhardt Internships. Thanks to the generous funding from their estate, Point will fund nonprofit internships for academically talented LGBTQ scholars in the field of HIV/AIDS.

Additional Support

In addition to the incredible support provided by the Kadel and Gerhardt Estate, Point is extraordinarily grateful for an outpouring of recent support from other individuals. Point Emeritus Board Member Shelley Freeman and her wife Joni Rim have committed to fund 10 BIPOC scholarships; an anonymous donor from Asheville, North Carolina, has stepped up and increased their support by investing in Point's exploration of vocational and technical school scholarships. Several other individuals have created new community college scholarships and two new undergraduate scholarships in perpetuity, and they have increased their support of Point Scholars in light of the threat posed by new legislation and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.

About Point Foundation

For more than 20 years, Point Foundation has been empowering promising LGBTQ students to achieve their full academic and leadership potential – despite the obstacles often put before them – so they can make a significant impact on society. Point is the nation's largest scholarship-granting organization for LGBTQ students, providing vital scholarship funding, mentorship, and leadership development to the next generation of LGBTQ leaders.

SOURCE Point Foundation