Education Awards
Supporting women's education and career advancement through financial awards
Empowering Through Education
Soroptimist International of The Sierras offers three distinctive awards to help women pursue their educational and career goals, regardless of where they are in their journey.
🌟 Live Your Dream Award Applications Now Open! 🌟
Deadline: November 15th, 2025
Live Your Dream – $1,500 Award
Applications Open: August 15 - November 15, 2025
Soroptimist's Live Your Dream Awards program is a unique education award for women who provide the primary financial support for their families. The Live Your Dream Awards give women the resources they need to improve their education, skills, and employment prospects.
To be eligible for this award, you must:
- Provide the primary financial support for yourself and your dependents (dependents can include children, spouse, partner, siblings and/or parents)
- Have financial need
- Be enrolled in (or accepted to) a vocational/skills training program or an undergraduate degree program
- Be motivated to achieve your education and career goals
- Not have received a Soroptimist Women's Opportunity or Live Your Dream Award
- Not have a graduate degree
- Not be a Soroptimist member, an employee of Soroptimist International of the Americas, or immediate family of either
Apply Now for the Live Your Dream Award!
Complete your application through our website
Realize Your Dream – $1,500 Award
Soroptimist of The Sierras has created a new award! This award was inspired by all the independent young women who are getting out there on their own for the first time. The only difference between this and the Live Your Dream Award? You DO NOT need to have dependents or qualify as Head of Household to apply.
To be eligible for this award, you must:
- Have a financial need
- Be enrolled in (or accepted to) a vocational/skills training program or an undergraduate degree program
- Be motivated to achieve your education and career goals
- Not have a graduate degree
- Not have received a Soroptimist Women's Opportunity or Live Your Dream Award
Download our Realize Your Dream Application
Applications due: TBD (Early 2026)
Furthering Your Dream – $1,500 Award
The purpose of the Furthering Your Dream Award is to support a woman seeking to further her higher education. This award is for a woman pursuing her master's degree (or higher, such as doctoral, law, medical, etc.). Women who have completed their bachelor's degree and are earning a teaching credential are also eligible. Previous recipients of Realize Your Dream or Live Your Dream Awards are encouraged to apply! Our goal is to support women, who will, in turn, improve the lives of other women and girls.
To be eligible for this award, you must:
- Have a bachelor's degree
- Be enrolled in a university or program and on course to complete a master's degree or higher – Or actively acquiring teaching credentials
- Not be a Soroptimist member, an employee of Soroptimist International of the Americas, or immediate family of either
Download our Furthering Your Dream Application
Applications due: TBD (Early 2026)