Justice, EQUITY, DIVERSITY and INCLUSION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
We created the SmithGroup Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (J.E.D.I.) Scholarship Program to create a more diverse and inclusive design industry by providing students with opportunities to pursue their academic and professional goals. We are committed to expanding the pipeline of the next generation of design talent and improving the built environment by better representing the communities we serve with design.
Each year, we award five scholarships to students demonstrating a commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion in the design industry. The scholarship includes a one-time award of $6,000 to offset the recipient’s tuition at their current academic institution. Additionally, scholarship recipients serve as paid summer interns at SmithGroup offices across the United States (internship is a program requirement). Since its inception in 2018, the program has awarded $210,000 to 35 recipients across the United States.
SmithGroup Awards 2024 Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Scholarships
"Our J.E.D.I. Scholarship is one means of helping to cultivate a more just and equitable design industry by cultivating a more inclusive pipeline of future design talent," says Troy Thompson, a managing partner for the firm. "Our scholarship programs, including the J.E.D.I. Scholarship, are each designed to offer real-work experience, foster mentoring relationships with professionals, and provide tuition support to help young designers launch successful professional careers."
Now Accepting Applications for 2025
The SmithGroup J.E.D.I. Scholarship provides students with opportunities to pursue their academic and professional goals while expanding the pipeline of design talent and improving the built environment.
APPLICATION PROCESS
The 2025 applications for the SmithGroup J.E.D.I. Scholarship will be open until midnight on Sunday, December 1, 2024.
Eligibility:
Applicants must be a current undergraduate (at least a junior level standing) or graduate student in an accredited architecture, interior design, urban planning, landscape architecture or engineering program (civil/structural, mechanical, electrical and fire protection) in the United States.
Applicants must be enrolled students during the Fall 2025 semester as scholarships are paid directly to the academic institution.
Applicants must be available for a paid summer internship.
Applicants should have a current GPA of 3.0 or better.
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
Eligible applicants must have the following items ready prior to starting an application:
A cover letter explaining your involvement in organizations and activities that demonstrate your commitment to diversity and inclusion within your university, community, and/or the AEC industry.
A resume.
A link to an online portfolio (for architecture, landscape architecture and interior design students only).
For questions about the SmithGroup J.E.D.I. Scholarship program, please submit an email to scholarships [at] smithgroup.comrel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank".
Apply:
THE INTERN EXPERIENCE
The Voice of Interns: Building a More Inclusive Industry
What does it take to evolve the design industry so that we can design a better future for all? Our 2021 intern class shares their insights and experiences on how EDI plays a crucial role in addressing the challenges of tomorrow.
PAST RECIPIENTS
J.E.D.I. AT SMITHGROUP
Working to Design a Better Future for All
Often used interchangeably, equity, diversity and inclusion are not synonyms. Each has a different meaning, and each plays a unique yet interrelated role in shaping our design culture and outcomes for a better future together.
HOW WE WORK
Our integrated design process emphasizes multi-disciplinary contributions and weaves together complex inputs into an elegant whole. Our tenacious creativity empowers us and our clients to Design a Better Future.
LEADING THE CONVERSATION
Designing for Justice and Decarbonization in Allensworth, CA
As part of the interdisciplinary team that won the Architecture at Zero 2023 competition, we were inspired by the design challenge it posed. The prompt for this year’s competition was to design an agricultural center and housing for farm students in historic Allensworth, California, located north of Bakersfield. Established by Colonel Allen Allensworth in 1908, the town was the first in California to be founded, financed and governed by African Americans. While this agricultural community initially thrived, racially motivated decisions to relocate the rail line and divert regional water supplies led to a century of environmental hardships and economic struggles that are being redressed.
