Leonard P. Roberts Memorial Scholarship

The Leonard P. Roberts Memorial Scholarship was founded in 1993 by Culture Works in honor of Leonard P. Roberts, who was the Chairman of the Dayton Performing Arts Fund at the time of his death. Since its inception, the scholarship has awarded more than $400,000 to over 200 students, supporting their educational endeavors and fostering continued engagement in the arts. Culture Works is a nonprofit arts service organization based in Dayton, Ohio, dedicated to strengthening the Dayton Region's cultural vitality through support for local arts organizations and artists. The Leonard P. Roberts Memorial Scholarship serves as one of its longstanding investments in community arts education, aimed at nurturing future leaders, creators, and patrons within the arts ecosystem. This scholarship provides financial assistance to graduating high school seniors and college students who both reside and attend school within the Dayton Region, which includes Butler, Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, and Warren counties in Ohio. While the program is open to students of all majors, priority may be given to those pursuing studies in arts disciplines, business, or engineering. To be eligible, applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 and be planning to enroll as full-time students for the entire upcoming academic year. Applicants must also demonstrate past participation in or patronage of the arts, aligning with Culture Works’ mission to promote arts appreciation and involvement across the community. Although the organization strongly encourages students from arts-related backgrounds, the selection process remains inclusive, with all qualifying majors considered. Award amounts for the Leonard P. Roberts Memorial Scholarship range from $1,000 to $5,000, and recipients are chosen based on artistic engagement, academic performance, and alignment with the scholarship’s regional and disciplinary priorities. The application period for the 2025–2026 cycle has closed, and awards are currently under review. Information about application components, evaluation methods, or required documentation was not detailed in the public-facing material. No named contact, application platform, or official PDF guidelines were listed. Prospective applicants are advised to monitor the Culture Works website for updates on future application cycles, which appear to occur annually. As such, recurring availability and a typical review cycle are assumed.