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Tailor tertiary scholarships for marginalised students

Multi-year scholarships are now open to First Nations applicants who identify as LGBTQIA+ and considering or pursuing full-time study at TAFE or public university campuses in 2026.

The Pinnacle Foundation has supported hundreds of marginalised Indigenous graduates reach their higher education goals, as part of its broad program of scholarships for applicants aged 18 to 26.

Applicants must meet criteria to qualify for the multi-year scholarships, including being aged 18-26 and a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.

The Pinnacle Foundation offers 100 scholarships each year for students nationwide undertaking tertiary courses in an array of fields – including trades and the arts.

Executive leadership programs are also offered to First Nations applicants only, in recognition of additional cultural and economic barriers recent research has shown hinders tertiary and corporate opportunities.

Recent data released by Pinnacle – a leading LGBTQIA+ education charity – laid bare highly complex issues young First Nations students who identified as LGBTIQA+ faced accessing tertiary education.

Almost 50 per cent said First Nations LGBTQIA+ people faced extra hurdles pursuing higher education, while 46 per cent believed it was harder for them to find employment in their field of study after graduating from TAFE or university.

A quarter of respondents had left their job because of discrimination or feeling isolated in the workplace.

A landmark academic report in 2021 out of Western Australia’s Edith Cowan University urged effective responses to mental health issues many First Nations LGBTIQ+ people across Australia felt, after a nationwide survey of the cohort, as well as leading healthcare professionals.

A third of those surveyed felt “invisible” in their First Nations communities, and 73 per cent due had been discriminated in the 12 months prior. Elders also surveyed for the WA study showed strong support for acceptance.

Pinnacle Foundation scholarship recipients receive support beyond course funding, with successful students matched with a mentor who has similar interests, identity, and lived experiences, hopefully becoming a source of trust, inspiration and guidance during their studies.

Pinnacle alumni and proud Cammeraigal man Benjamin McGrory – a former arts and law student at the University of Sydney – said Elders were also crucial to fostering acceptance and building his confidence.

“Going back to when I applied, I didn’t think I was academic enough … after speaking to the mob they encouraged me to tell my story and apply,” he said.

“Our young people need to believe they belong on boards, in banks and consultancies, so they can break down barriers for the next generation.”

Support from organisations like BlaQ Aboriginal Corporation and Black Rainbow had also helped those like Ben.

The Pinnacle Foundation is not government associated, with donors and corporate and philanthropic partners such as Rio Tinto and BHP providing crucial funding.

Foundation ambassadors and patrons include high-profile leaders from all walks of life – such as former Greens leader Bob Brown, ex-Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, Olympic swimmer Daniel Kowalski, media identities Narelda Jacobs and Patricia Karvelas, and the foundation’s first patron, the Hon. Michael Kirby AC, Australia’s longest-serving judge and passionate advocate for human rights and LGBTQIA+ inclusion.

Mr Kirby AC said there hundreds of scholarships were offered across Australia and most of them were “wonderful investments in the future of admirable young people … but the Pinnacle scholarships were special.

“They uplift young people who have faced dire problems – often with their families, beliefs and communities – restore inner confidence and trust in the goodness of a society that often is hostile,” he said.

Article written by David Prestipino published in the National Indigenous Times.