The Alphonso Scholarship
We do not help them pass. We help them surpass.
Each year, the Alphonso Scholarship invests in a young mind and spirit, giving a promising student the books, tools, and financial support to stay prepared, focused, and confident on the road to their calling.
The Promise
A promise to invest in the next generation
The Alphonso Scholarship is devoted to nurturing the minds and spirits of young people, whether in formal education or in community-based programs. It reflects our commitment to serve children with intentional care, guidance, and resources that support both academic success and personal growth.
Through this program the Lodge provides books that encourage self-respect, character, and moral clarity, along with school supplies and scholarship support that help young people remain prepared, focused, and confident. Our aim is not merely that they pass, but that they surpass expectation, awakening a sense of purpose and excellence that reaches into their families, their classrooms, and their communities.
The scholarship is more than a program. It is a promise to invest time, care, and wisdom in the next generation, in keeping with our mantra, Builders of Civilization, Servants of Humanity.
What the Scholarship Provides
Support that reaches the classroom
Books that build character
Carefully chosen books that encourage self-respect, moral clarity, and a love of learning, not only textbooks but works that shape the whole person.
School supplies and readiness
The practical materials a student needs to arrive prepared and stay focused, removing the small barriers that too often stand in the way of good work.
Scholarship funds
Financial support applied to the cost of education and paid directly to the school the recipient attends, so the gift reaches its purpose in full.
How the Award Works
Given once a year, paid straight to the school
The Alphonso Scholarship is awarded once each year to a single recipient chosen through the review process below. Concentrating the gift in one annual award allows the Lodge to give meaningfully rather than thinly, and to walk alongside each scholar we support.
Scholarship funds are awarded directly to the college, university, or educational institution where the recipient is enrolled or has been accepted. Rather than placing money in a student's hands, the Lodge applies the award to tuition, fees, books, or required materials on the student's behalf. This protects the purpose of the gift, keeps the process transparent, and ensures that every dollar reaches the classroom it was intended to serve.
Books, school supplies, and other in-kind support may be provided directly to the recipient or through a partnering school or program, as best serves the student's needs.
Who Qualifies
What we look for in a scholar
We are not searching for the perfect student. We are searching for a willing one, ready to learn, to grow, and to give back.
Enrolled or accepted
The applicant is enrolled in, or has been accepted to, an accredited educational path: a high school, college, university, technical program, or an established community-based education program.
Demonstrated diligence
The applicant shows a record of genuine effort and steady progress. We weigh growth, determination, and the will to surpass expectation, not a single number on a transcript.
A purpose that serves others
The applicant can describe how their education will be used to lift others, meeting a need in their family, classroom, or community with ingenuity rather than indifference.
Character and good faith
The applicant reflects honesty, respect, and integrity in conduct and intention, using their abilities ethically and in a spirit of service.
How to Apply
From nomination to award
Apply or be nominated
A nomination may come from any member in good standing, a student, a partnering school or organization, or by self-nomination. A student may put their own name forward.
Submit a written statement
The applicant provides a written statement of no more than one page describing their course of study, their goals, and how their education will serve others.
Review by the panel
A review panel appointed by the Worshipful Master evaluates each applicant against the criteria above and recommends a recipient to the Lodge.
Award and disbursement
One recipient is selected for the year. The scholarship is paid directly to the recipient's school, and any books or supplies are provided to support the student's success.
Invest in a Mind
Help us send a scholar further
Every gift to charity and community programs helps carry books, supplies, and scholarship support to a young person ready to surpass expectation.
Under the auspices of the Most Worshipful Isaac Grand Lodge A.F. & A.M. of Texas
