The Legacy Lab Foundation

BACKGROUND

Since 2012, The Legacy Lab has been researching, writing and publishing on the topic of business leaders who are creating enduring change: celebrating the long-term thinkers in a short-term world. Core to our thinking is the idea of treating legacy as a forward-looking concept, something that is passed forward versus something that is simply left behind. In March 2018, McGraw-Hill Education published a best-selling book based on our work called Legacy in the Making: Building a Long-Term Brand to Stand Out in a Short-Term World.

The Legacy Lab has granted bursaries to both established leaders and young leaders who are making enduring contributions through their work: Yvon Chouinard (founder of Patagonia), David Remnick (editor and refounder of The New Yorker), Ashley Edwards and Alina Liao (advocates and cofounders of MindRight), Naomi Wadler and Carter Anderson (activists in leading the #neveragain movement), and Carmen LoBue (social activist and filmmaker). Last year's Legacy Lab Foundation Scholarship was awarded to Victoria Okonkwo, a third-year Finance and Information Systems major at the Stevens Institute of Technology whose work centers on community service, youth leadership, and financial literacy. She founded the Bayonne Student Leadership Council in New Jersey, and its success earned her the President's Volunteer Service Award from the White House.

This year, for the eighth edition of the scholarship, The Legacy Lab Foundation will be awarding a $15,000 scholarship to a BIPOC student who represents the next-generation of legacy-makers – future leaders who are dedicating time and energy to create lasting social impact. Scholarship funds are intended as an investment in ongoing education to help a student achieve a personal ambition. In turn, scholarship funds will be paid directly to the student’s institution and can only be used toward school-related items such as tuition, books, etc.​

Applications open September 14, 2026 12AM PT and are due by October 19, 2026 9AM PT


CRITERIA

Powered by The Giving Back Fund, The Legacy Lab Foundation Scholarship is inviting applications from undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral-level students who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color (BIPOC) who attend colleges, universities or similar accredited institutions (such as technical schools) in the United States. We are searching for a future leader studying with the intent to revolutionize an industry, challenge social norms, and/or build a long-lasting brand solution in culture. We will champion one of tomorrow’s leaders working toward making progress today.

To qualify, you must be a BIPOC student with a strong sense of personal purpose—who is studying with the intent of creating positive, enduring change. Specifically, we are asking applicants to reveal something meaningful about their ikigai  (“reason for being”) by responding to these questions:

  1. What is your dream for a better world and what CONTRIBUTION will you make toward achieving that dream?

  2. Academically, what are you studying? Why have you chosen this path of study? What do you LOVE about it?

  3. What makes you exceptional in your chosen field of study? What is it about you that makes you GOOD at it?

  4. How will you apply your studies after graduation? Or how are you already applying your studies (e.g. related experience, volunteering, internships, businesses, etc.)? How will your ideas CREATE VALUE (e.g. earn money) and yield a solution, such as a business idea, that is built to last?

  5. Why are your intended contributions—your creative, social and/or commercial contributions post-graduation—something the world needs more of? How will your idea(s) IMPACT PEOPLE’S LIVES for the better and for the long-term?


HOW TO APPLY

  1. Please answer the five questions posed above in the form of a video response of five minutes or less.

  2. Please send (A) your video response, (B) proof of enrollment at your accredited school, and (C) answers to the “Fast Facts” form in the online application no later than 9:00 AM PT on Monday, October 19, 2026.

All applications must be submitted by the deadline for consideration.

  • Applications open on September 14, 2026, at 12:00 AM PT.

  • Applications are due by October 19, 2026, at 9:00 AM PT.

  • This year’s Legacy Lab Scholar will be notified by the 3rd week of January 2027.

For more information, please contact legacylab@givingback.org.

APPLY HERE