Since its incorporation in 1989 through 2025, the NY Grace LeGendre Endowment Fund Inc (GLEF), has awarded over $211,500 in fellowships to 179 NYS women. Of these, one hundred nineteen were working toward a Master’s and fifty six toward a doctorate. They were enrolled in fifty-nine  diverse fields of graduate study.

Fellowships are awarded annually for graduate study to qualified women. The number and amount of the fellowships vary from year to year. In 2025, a total of $6,500 in Fellowships was awarded to supplement education costs for the 2025-26 academic year.  The four 2025 awardees are:

• Irina Costache, Master of Journalism, New York University, Founder's Award
• Courtney Braun, Master of Public Administration, Cornell University
• Jeneen Clarke,  Master of Education, City University of New York, Lehman College
• Isabella Ferreira, Master of Leadership Management, Columbia University

The GLEF has allocated $6500 for four Fellowships (one, $2000 award and three, $1500 awards) to supplement education costs for the 2026-27 academic year.

Eligibility 

Individuals who wish to be considered for a GLEF Fellowship must:

1. Be a woman who is a United States citizen, a DACA recipient or a holder of a permanent Green Card and a resident of New York State.
2. Have a Bachelor's degree
3. Be currently enrolled in graduate studies in an advanced graduate degree program at an accredited New York State college or university and have already completed at least one semester in that program.
4. Show evidence of scholastic ability and a need for financial assistance.
5. Anticipated graduation year must be no later than 2027.

Application process

Applications for the 2026 Fellowships will be available for download here in MSWord and PDF formats in Fall 2025.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to have the application completed, signed where requested, and postmarked by February 28,2026 and to ensure that all required supplementary materials are postmarked to the Fellowship Chair by the same date as well.  Among the supplemental materials currently required are the following:

1. Most recent official undergraduate and graduate transcripts. These must be sent from the college or university directly to the Fellowship Chair.
2. Two (2) current letters of recommendation from persons acquainted with your academic performance and/or professional work. These are to be sent directly to the Fellowship Chair by the persons you have selected.
3. A one-page statement indicating why you believe you should be awarded a fellowship. Indicate your accomplishments, goals, long-range plans, financial need, and plans for use of your graduate education. 

Acknowledgement of the receipt of your application and/or subsequent material will be made by e-mail.

Address for Application Submission

Meg Cole
308 Sheffield Road
thaca, N.Y. 14850
Email: [email protected]

EMAIL submission is preferred after all required signatures are obtained

Application timeline - 2026 Fellowships

• Fall 2025 – application form will be made available.
• February 28, 2026 – deadline for applications and all supplemental material to be postmarked and sent to the Fellowship Chair.
• March 2026 – applications will be evaluated.
• April 2026 – the decision regarding successful applicants will be made in early April. Recipients of Fellowships will be notified by e-mail followed by an official letter of award.