When the National Bar Association Women Lawyers Division, Philadelphia Chapter (WLD) formed 30 years ago, one of its goals was to address the challenges to advancement in the legal profession faced by women of color. Today, to promote diversity and reduce barriers to success in the legal profession, the Foundation of the National Bar Association Women Lawyers’ Division, Philadelphia Chapter (WLD Foundation), a 501(c) (3) Not for Profit Organization and the charitable arm of the WLD, provides scholarships to deserving women of color in area law schools.

The WLD Foundation, originally established in 1993, was re-established and re-purposed in 2008 to serve as the entity charged with raising scholarship funds, monitoring scholarship accounts and the selection and awarding of book and tuition scholarships.

The WLD Foundation scholarships are named in honor of Justice Juanita Kidd Stout, the first African American woman to sit on the bench in Philadelphia and later the first African American woman in the United States to serve on a state Supreme Court and Sadie T.M. Alexander, the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in Economics, the first African American woman to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law and the first African American woman to be admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar.

The Justice Juanita Kidd Stout Tuition Scholarship is in the amount of $5,000 and one Sadie T.M. Alexander Book Fund Scholarship is awarded at each of the six area law schools in amounts of $500 - $1,000. The WLD Foundation scholarship awards are made to current African American female law students who display financial need, academic excellence and a demonstrated commitment to the principles of Justice Stout and Sadie T.M. Alexander. 

The inclusion of women of color and increased diversity in the legal profession contribute to equal access to justice for everyone, especially women and minorities. The WLD Foundation solicits support to continue its important mission – a mission that benefits everyone. Contributions to the WLD Foundation are tax deductible and will fund scholarship awards to deserving women of color and thus increasing their inclusion in the legal profession and helping to ensure equal access to justice for everyone.

Donations to the Foundation of the National Bar Association Women Lawyers Division, Philadelphia Chapter are welcome throughout the year. To donate, please click here.

Click here for the scholarship application