Empowerment Scholarship for Herbal Education

The Herbal Academy strives to develop and support educational opportunities and the advancement of herbalism in a wide array of communities! Each year, the Herbal Academy donates a dedicated number of scholarships and enrollment opportunities for our programs to non-profit organizations, herbal conferences, and events to help bring quality herbal education to students, families, and communities across the United States and throughout the world.

The Herbal Academy opens its doors to new students through its annual needs-based scholarship program granting enrollment scholarships into both the Family Herbalist Path Package and Clinical Herbalist Path Package each year. In addition, partial scholarships are offered for those seeking individual training courses.

The goal of these scholarships is to offer herbal wellness tools to support students facing significant hardships and limited financial means. The intention is to enable individuals to gain an herbal education and use their learned knowledge and skills to support their health and wellness, their families, and/or their local community. This scholarship is for underserved populations who face undue barriers as a result of an unbalanced social structure which discriminates based on a person’s race, ethnicity, religion, class, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

Scholarship recipients will be chosen using a multi-step process of random selection from qualifying applications combined with manual review. Applicants will complete a short questionnaire about themselves and their goals for obtaining an herbal education. The Herbal Academy awards $80,000 in full ride scholarships and partial scholarships annually through the Empowerment Scholarship Fund.

Please be sure to read the questions and answers before you apply.

How do I know if I qualify for this scholarship?

The Empowerment Scholarship is intended for individuals who have financial need and who are members of underserved groups that are often excluded from access to herbal education. This includes those who are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual), disabled, immigrant, part of an ethnic or religious minority, and/or have limited income.

What do you mean by financial need?

This scholarship is designed to increase access for individuals from underserved groups who would not otherwise be able to participate in herbal education due to financial circumstances. We don’t specify an income level because everyone’s circumstances are different. If you have expendable income (reference this graphic by Alexis J. Cunningfolk if you need guidance determining that) or access to financial resources like savings or family support that would allow you to take the courses you’re interested in, please use those resources before applying for this scholarship so that others who don’t may benefit. If after assessing your circumstances and available resources you determine that you are unable to cover the cost of herbal education, please don’t hesitate to apply.

Wereceivethousandsof applications per each application window, manymore requeststhanour scholarship funds can cover. Rather than trying to determine whose need is greatest, which is really an impossible task, we use a multi-stepprocess of random selection from the qualifying applications (those that meet the outlined criteria) combined with manual review. The selection process takes place from a pool of applicants who have read the qualifying information, voluntarily assert that they meet the criteria, and share their goals for their herbalism education.

We’re asking everyone to think carefully about whether this scholarship applies to them before they apply to ensure that those who meet the criteria and have financial need are receiving these scholarships.  

Can I apply if I am already registered for a course included in this scholarship award?

Full ride scholarships are awardedonlyfor new course registrations to allow students who could not otherwise do so to start and meet their goals in herbal education. Partial scholarships are open for new course registrations as well as previously enrolled students with financial need in order to support them in taking the next step in their education. No refunds will be issued for existing course registrations. Scholarships cannot be applied to textbooks. 

If you’d like to stay in touch with updates on the next Empowerment Scholarship Application opening, please add yourself to our newsletters here.

We are thrilled to be offering this Empowerment Scholarship because it speaks to the core of our mission here at the Herbal Academy as we work to support passionate students through accessible and affordable herbal education.

The world simply needs more herbalists in every community. If you have both the financial need and the genuine desire to build and expand your herbal knowledge, please don’t hesitate to apply below.