The RTB National Scholarship Fund supports graduating scholars transitioning to college, technical school, or training programs, with awards based on level of participation across the four pillars over their high-school years.
The fund is supported by individual donations, family foundations, and chapter affiliation revenue. Awards are made annually to graduating senior scholars who’ve completed the four-pillar program.
Graduating senior RTB scholars who’ve completed all four pillars during their high-school years through an active RTB chapter:
A selection committee reviews each application. The primary criterion is level of participation across the four pillars; secondary criteria include the quality of the senior gala presentation and the strength of letters of recommendation.
Award amounts vary by year based on fund availability and number of qualifying scholars.
RTB scholarships support the recipient’s post-high-school education. Eligible uses include:
Funds are paid directly to the recipient’s educational institution upon proof of enrollment.
If you’re a graduating senior who’s completed the four pillars over your RTB years, you’re eligible. Your chapter director will guide you through the process; this is the broad shape.
Sit down with your chapter director and confirm that your participation across the four pillars meets the requirements. Your chapter has the records.
Your chapter director will provide the current year’s application form. The application is updated annually; always use the current year’s version.
Pull together the required materials: high-school transcript, pillar participation log signed by your chapter director, personal essay, and one letter of recommendation. See the checklist alongside this section.
Submit your complete application package by the senior-year deadline. Late applications cannot be considered for that year’s awards. Reach out to your chapter director or scholarships@raisingthebarredance.org for the current cycle’s deadline.
The selection committee reviews all applications. Decisions are announced ahead of the annual RTB Gala, where senior scholars present and recipients are recognized.
The scholarship fund is supported entirely by donations. Whether you give once, give monthly, or fund a named scholarship, your contribution goes directly to the fund and is tax-deductible.
Make a single contribution at any amount. Most donors give in this category. Gifts are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law; we provide acknowledgment letters for all gifts of $250 or more, and IRS-compliant receipts for donations of any size on request.
Make a one-time gift →Set up a monthly contribution at any amount. Recurring giving is the most reliable way to fund the scholarship pool — it lets us forecast award amounts each year. You can change or cancel at any time.
Set up monthly giving →At higher giving levels, a scholarship can be named in honor of you, a family member, or someone whose memory you wish to celebrate. Named scholarships are awarded each year with the donor’s name attached, in perpetuity for endowed gifts.
Talk to us about named scholarships →Include RTB in your estate plan through a bequest, charitable remainder trust, or beneficiary designation on a retirement account or life insurance policy. Planned gifts build long-term endowment that supports scholarships across future generations of RTB scholars.
Explore planned giving →These are the levels most donors choose from, with honest framings of what each amount supports. Every gift — large or small — goes to the same scholarship fund.
Honest note on impact framings. We’ve avoided fabricated “your $X buys exactly Y” precision because award amounts vary by year and by scholar, and we don’t want to misrepresent the math. The framings above describe how donors typically think about giving levels at organizations our size, not guaranteed equivalences. Detailed financial reporting appears in our annual Form 990 and annual report.
The majority of every donation goes directly to the scholarship fund. We don’t claim “100% goes to scholars” — that’s not realistic for any nonprofit, and we’d rather be honest. A small portion covers payment processing fees and the operational costs of running the program (chapter support, gala, annual report). The exact breakdown appears in our Form 990 and annual report.
Gifts can be designated for the general scholarship fund or for a specific chapter’s scholar pool. We don’t accept gifts designated to a specific named individual scholar — the IRS treats those as non-deductible private gifts rather than charitable donations. Named scholarships (above $5,000) are different and do allow donor recognition.
Yes. RTB is a 501(c)(3) public charity, and donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. We provide acknowledgment letters for gifts of $250 or more (the IRS threshold for substantiation). Receipts for any amount are available on request to donate@raisingthebarredance.org.
Yes. Tribute gifts — in honor of a living person or in memory of someone who has passed — are welcome. We can send a notification to the person or family if you provide their contact information. Note that a tribute gift is still a donation to RTB, not a transfer to the honoree.
Every donor receives an annual impact report alongside their tax acknowledgment showing the year’s scholarship awards. Detailed financials appear in our Form 990 (filed annually with the IRS and publicly searchable on Candid/GuideStar) and our annual report. We don’t ask donors to take it on faith.
Yes. Many employers match charitable contributions to 501(c)(3) organizations. Check with your HR department to see if RTB qualifies under your employer’s match program; we’re happy to provide any documentation your employer needs. Reach donate@raisingthebarredance.org.
Or, if you’re a graduating scholar yourself: talk to your chapter director about applying. Both paths start here.