November is National Scholarship Month

For the next Spelman woman

Help Spelman students from Northern Virginia cover portions of tuition, room and board, so they can remain enrolled and undaunted.

Join the 1881 Circle for $18.81/month.

Join the 1881 CircleGive once

$0 raised toward our $10,000 goal by Giving Tuesday, December 1.

Kamari Manderson, C’2028Hadassah Vincent, C’2027Gabriella La Cour, C’2027

The challenge

~$52K

a year at Spelman for tuition, fees, room and board (2025–26)

Getting into Spelman is the hard part. Staying shouldn’t be.

Most undergraduates can borrow only $5,500 to $7,500 a year in federal student loans. When aid runs short, the gap shows up as a room and board bill, a skipped semester, or one more loan.

No student who earned her place at Spelman should have to choose between her bills and her degree.

Spelman women helping Spelman women

We remember who helped us stay.

The Northern Virginia Chapter of the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College (NoVA NAASC) started the 1881 Scholarship Fund in 2018 so students from our area never face those gaps alone. Every dollar goes directly to scholarships for Spelman students from Northern Virginia.

~$60K

awarded to Northern Virginia Spelman students since 2018

Part of the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College, serving Spelman women since 1892.

Making a difference takes three steps

  1. Choose your gift

    Join the 1881 Circle at $18.81 a month, or give once. Ask your employer to match it.

  2. We award scholarships

    Each spring, our Scholarship Committee awards $2,500 scholarships to Spelman students from Northern Virginia.

  3. She finishes strong

    Your gift covers room and board, closes aid gaps, and means less to borrow. We’ll share the difference you made.

Join the 1881 Circle

The difference you make

One scholarship. A month and a half of room and board.

Last spring, one $2,500 scholarship covered a NoVA Spelman student’s April room and board and most of May’s, just as her student account reached zero.

For another student, $2,500 means $2,500 less in loans. That’s a third or more of what she can borrow in federal loans in a year.

Our past award recipients

Kamari Manderson, C’2028Hadassah Vincent, C’2027Gabriella La Cour, C’2027Maya Raines, C’2027Dakota Teasdell, C’2026Cayla, past 1881 scholarship recipientAbeni, past 1881 scholarship recipientMelina Watson, past 1881 scholarship recipientPast 1881 scholarship recipientPast 1881 scholarship recipientPast 1881 scholarship recipientPast 1881 scholarship recipientZoe Joyner, past 1881 scholarship recipient

Because of you, these Spelman Sisters remain undaunted by the fight.

More than a donor

Join a giving circle

Every gift makes you part of a 145-year legacy. Each circle is named for a piece of Spelman history.

  • The 1881 Circle$18.81/monthNamed for the year Spelman was founded. 25 members fund two scholarships a year.
  • The Founders Circle$188.10/monthHonors founders Sophia B. Packard and Harriet E. Giles.
  • The Friendship Circle$188.10 onceFor Friendship Baptist Church, where Spelman’s first classes met.
  • The Undaunted Society$1,881 onceA leadership gift, recognized in our thank-you listing (with permission).
  • The Legacy Society$2,500 or moreNames a scholarship for the year.

Give today

Be her village. Join the 1881 Circle.

Give $18.81 monthly, in honor of the year Spelman was founded, or make a one-time gift of any amount.

Look up your employer in the form to see if they’ll match your gift.

NoVA NAASC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 30-0944610). Your donation is tax-deductible.

From Spelman student to Spelman woman for life. Thank you for keeping the chain unbroken.

1881 Scholarship Drive profile photo frame: I Support Northern VA Spelman Students, November 2026, with the NoVA NAASC logo

Show your village you’re in

Add the 1881 frame to your profile photo

Wear the frame through Giving Tuesday, December 1. Every frame tells your friends that Northern Virginia Spelman students have a village behind them.

Easiest

Use the Canva template

  1. Tap Open the Canva template. A free Canva account works, on your phone or computer.
  2. Upload your photo and drag it into the circle. Double-tap it to move it so your face sits above the logo.
  3. Tap Share › Download and save it as a PNG.
  4. On Facebook, tap your profile picture › Choose profile picture and pick the saved image.

Or download the frame

  1. Download the frame. Its center is transparent, so your photo shows through.
  2. Open a free photo app that supports layers (such as Adobe Express, Photoshop Express, or Canva) and start a square design.
  3. Add your photo first and set it as the background. Then add the frame on top and stretch it to fill the square.
  4. Download the result as a PNG and set it as your profile picture.

New to layers? See Adobe’s guide to working with layers in Adobe Express.

When you post it, add naascnova.org/scholarshipfund and #1881Circle so friends can join you.

More ways to help

Share this page

Send it to a Spelman sister, a parent, or a colleague, and share our posts on Facebook and Instagram. Every share brings a student closer to her scholarship.

Shop the NoVA Spelman Spirit Store

Wear your Spelman pride or give a gift that gives back. Proceeds benefit the 1881 Scholarship Fund. Items ship from our print partner, and shipping is calculated per item.

Questions? Email scholarshipfundteam@naascnova.org. Learn more about the Northern Virginia Chapter of the NAASC.