The Social Good Scholarship Program - Open January 1, 2024
Traditionally, the term social good is used to describe an act or service that benefits society. Acts or services tend to impact and benefit the largest number of people in a region in the largest way possible. Some examples include initiatives and projects focused on clean air, clean water, and literacy. The Lampkin Foundation believes if you want to make a difference, you must work to improve the world around you through volunteer work and supporting causes that matter to you. The Lampkin Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. All scholarship amounts issued are made possible thanks to the generosity of our donor community.
Our Philosophy
The D’Andre D Lampkin Foundation believes that building stronger communities requires teamwork and the cultivation of future leaders. To achieve this, the organization has created the Social Good Scholarship Program. The foundation defines “social good” as the actions taken to serve communities in ways that benefit society as a whole and propel these communities forward.
The decision to establish the Social Good Scholarship Program is supported by research from Nielsen, which reveals that 50% of global consumers are willing to pay more for goods and services from socially responsible companies and organizations. This indicates that global audiences place importance on companies with community engagement programs.
The D’Andre D Lampkin Foundation recognizes that community engagement and volunteer programs not only benefit society but also provide numerous advantages within companies and organizations. Such programs foster camaraderie among employees, bringing them together and strengthening their connection to one another. Additionally, these initiatives provide employees with motivation and purpose, as they often seek opportunities to contribute to the communities they serve or the communities they reside in.
Overall, the D’Andre D Lampkin Foundation firmly believes that the Social Good Scholarship Program is a crucial step towards building stronger communities and cultivating the next generation of leaders. By defining “social good” as serving communities in ways that benefit society, the foundation aligns with the global demand for socially responsible companies. The fund not only provide opportunities for students pursuing higher education but also fosters teamwork, motivation, community engagement and direction among employees who participate in the scholarship program selection committee, ultimately leading to a more connected and prosperous society.
2018 Social Good Scholarship Recipient
Sabrina “Adeline” McCabe is a published author. In April 2016 sales began of her book titled, ‘The Devil in Amen’s Corner’. The novel addresses the issue of race, disparities in education, and sexual assault. Sabrina uses the book as a tool for discussion about social stigmas and literary and empowerment workshops across the state of Indiana. She is determined to empower others to become more active in their community and strives to prevent children and young adults from feeling as though their voices have been stolen. Sarina also helped to found a Gay Straight Alliance at her school campus that focuses on social activism and educational meetings. Her groups leads letter writing campaigns to U.S. embassies to raise awareness of the persecution LGBTQ youth in countries where identifying oneself as gay is punishable by death. Sarina plans to pursue a degree in journalism and launch a publishing company.
The Challenge
Explain how you are making your community stronger and why civic engagement matters in a short (30 seconds to 3 minutes) video, designed for a platform such as YouTube, that uses entertainment, emotion, creativity, and/or humor to motivate people to get involved in making their community stronger and more resilient.
Eligibility
The scholarship is only open to students currently enrolled at a U.S. accredited public or private high school (no full-time home-schooling students are eligible). Students must be in their junior or senior year to be eligible to receive an award. If a junior is selected as a scholarship winner, their award will be presented upon enrollment in their freshman semester/quarter of college. A minimum of 3.25 cumulative GPA or equivalent at the institution from which he/she is applying is required.
Video Eligibility
To be eligible to participate in the contest, the applicant must submit a video that meets the following requirements:
- Be 30 seconds to 3 minutes in length;
- Be in a compatible YouTube format with the proper codecs: WebM files, MPEG4, 3GPP, MOV, AVI, MPEGPS, WMV, FLV with suggested aspect of 16:9;
- Be fact-based and contain no misleading or false information;
- Must include all elements of the submission requirements described above, including a video link, team information, and video information. Videos or descriptions exceeding the length requirements or submitted after the stated deadline may not be reviewed.
Selection Criteria
It is expected that recipients will demonstrate exemplary academic achievement. Currently, provisions have been made for a minimum of three (3) students per year. Preference will be given to students who show interest in working in public service. Students will also have to complete a phone interview with the Lampkin Foundation to finalize the application process. The student will be contacted directly to schedule the interview after the deadline date. Other factors influencing in the award decision include:
- Unweighted GPA (9th-11th grades, including all subjects)
- Difficulty of curriculum
- 30 seconds to 3 minute video submission
- Student’s application information
- Financial need (as determined by the D’Andre D. Lampkin Social Good Scholarship Committee)
- SAT or ACT (recommended, but not required)
Application Process
Create a video about how you intend to use your field of study to make your community stronger and/or more resilient. Give us some insight into your personal background, your philosophy about social good, why you chose your field in particular, and any other information you feel is relevant. Your video submission will be judged based on originality, creativity, organization of thought, and emotional appeal.
Guidance for Video Tags and Titles
Appropriately tagging and titling videos can make them more visible and discoverable, and help mitigate other content that is problematic or misinformed. Some suggested titles and/or tags, used by the Lampkin Foundation and Lampkin Foundation Partners, include:
- #LampkinFoundation
- Stronger Together / #StrongerTogether
- Building Stronger Communities, Together / #BuildingStrongerCommunities
- Lampkin Foundation Social Good / #SocialGood
- We Are Civically Engaged / #CivicallyEngaged
- Make A Change / #MakeAChange
- Stand Up for Pubilc Values / #StandUpPublicValues
- My Community Matters / #MyCommunityMatters
Submission Requirements
- The Social Good Scholarship Fund Application Form
- Video length should be 30 seconds to 3 minutes
- All work must be original and not a duplicate of a video submitted for another organization’s contest
- Upon submission, the video becomes the property of the D’Andre D. Lampkin Foundation
- Applicants must provide proof of a 3.25 GPA or higher from the institution which he/she is enrolled. Unofficial transcripts meet this requirement.
- Clear contact information (name, mailing address, preferred means of contact)
- A brief biography and a recent photo of yourself participating in a project that promotes social good. The photo will be used for publicity purposes on the D’Andre D. Lampkin Foundation website.
- Proof of enrollment as a full-time undergraduate degree candidate at an accredited four-year college/university in the United States if scholarship is awarded.
Judging Process & Criteria
All video entries will first be screened to ensure the applicants and videos meet the basic eligibility criteria and guidelines on format, length, and accuracy. Submissions passing this screening will then be reviewed by the Social Good Social Good Scholarship Committee. Each submission will be scored by multiple reviewers on the following five criteria, which are described in detail below:
- Potential for impact (25%)
- Ability to inspire communities (25%)
- Technical quality (20%)
- Viral potential (15%)
- Creativity (15%)
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Potential for Impact (25%):
This score focuses on the overall impact of the video, especially emotional impact. This includes questions such as:
- How compelling is the video?
- Does this video incite and inspire viewers to make a change in a community?
- Is this video memorable?
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Ability to Inspire Communities (25%):
This score focuses on the ability of the video messages to meaningfully reach communities seeking ways to improve and become more connected. The score for this category includes considerations such as:
- Does the video effectively communicate messaging to communities looking for positive change?
- Does the video accurately utilize specific cultural, historical, or language assets to strengthen messaging?
- Will Lampkin Foundation supporters and volunteers find the video meaningful?
- Has the video been tested and iterated based on feedback from targeted viewers?
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Technical Quality (20%):
This score focuses on the overall quality of the video including audio and visual content. This includes questions such as:
- Does the video have clear audio and visual content?
- Is the video easily comprehensible for diverse viewers?
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Viral Potential (15%):
This score focuses on the overall potential of the video to “go viral.” Virality is defined as the tendency of content to be circulated rapidly and widely from one internet user to another. This includes questions such as:
- Is this video already viral or does it have a clear pathway to become viral via the medium, audience, creator, and/or distribution channels?
- Has the video been tested and iterated based on feedback from targeted viewers?
- Does the video have potential or have a proven ability to touch a wide range of audience types?
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Creativity (15%):
This score focuses on the overall creativity of the content of the video. The highest scoring videos will find innovative ways to inform, inspire, and incite action among viewers of the nation. Considerations include:
- Are the content or technical features novel and interesting?
Awards Available
The grand prize is a $2000 scholarship. Two $1000 scholarships will also be awarded to honorable mention entries. These scholarships will be granted annually and could increase each year, based on the amount of money available in the D’Andre D. Lampkin Foundation General Fund.