National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts Scholarship

Overview

The National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts (NHFA) provides scholarships to Latino graduate students pursuing degrees in entertainment-related fields at eight select US universities. The foundation was co-founded by actors Jimmy Smits, Esai Morales, and Sonia Braga to address the underrepresentation of Latinos in the American entertainment industry, both in front of and behind the camera.

The NHFA targets graduate-level education specifically. The foundation's reasoning is that advanced training in film and media is a primary pathway to leadership positions in the industry. By supporting Latino graduate students at top film schools and performing arts programs, the NHFA invests in the future decision-makers who will shape how Latino stories are told on screen.

The scholarship is restricted to students at eight specific universities: Yale, Harvard, Columbia, NYU, Northwestern, UCLA, USC, and UT Austin. This is a hard restriction. Students at other institutions are not eligible, regardless of the quality of their program or their financial need.

The foundation also advocates for increased Latino representation in Hollywood through partnerships with studios, networks, and industry organizations. Scholarship recipients benefit from these connections as they enter the professional world. Notable alumni include Reinaldo Marcus Green, who received an NHFA scholarship while studying at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and went on to direct the Oscar-nominated King Richard (2021).

What It Covers

• Cash scholarship toward graduate tuition and educational expenses. The exact award amount varies by year and recipient. Historical sources reference awards up to $10,000, though the foundation does not publish a fixed amount on its current website
• NHFA community access: recipients join a network of Latino arts professionals and scholars
• Industry connections: access to NHFA events and partnerships with entertainment industry organizations
• Career development support: the foundation supports recipients as they transition into professional careers
• Award disbursement: checks are processed in October and disbursed in November following the September enrollment verification

Eligibility

Applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

• Be of Hispanic heritage (one parent fully Hispanic or each parent half Hispanic)
• Be a US citizen or a legal permanent resident with a permanent resident card or passport stamped I-551 (current)
• Be a graduate student enrolled full-time during the previous or current academic year at one of the following eight universities only: Yale, Harvard, Columbia, NYU, Northwestern, UCLA, USC, or UT Austin
• Be pursuing a degree in one of the following areas: Drama/Theater, Set Design/Costume Design, Lighting Design, Film (writing/directing/production), Broadcast Communications, Entertainment Law, or Business Administration with an emphasis on entertainment management
• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale

Undergraduate students are not eligible. Students at universities other than the eight listed are not eligible. Students pursuing degrees outside the listed fields are not eligible. There are no exceptions to these restrictions.

How to Apply

Applications are submitted online through the NHFA website. All materials must be submitted in one package before July 31.

Required Materials

1. Completed online application: Answer all questions within the space and word count requirements
2. Official transcript: Must include cumulative GPA. If the transcript does not show a cumulative GPA, a school official must confirm the information on school letterhead with their signature. Transcripts must include institution name, applicant name, Social Security number, and date of birth. If you have completed only one full-time semester at your current institution, submit both graduate and undergraduate transcripts
3. Letter of recommendation: From an instructor or advisor, or if out of school for two or more years, from your most recent employer. The letter must be current, confidential, and cannot be from a relative. It should address academic record, academic plans and career goals, personal strengths (motivation, leadership, commitment), and community service. The recommender should send the letter directly to info@hispanicarts.org
4. Financial information documentation: If you applied for federal financial aid, include a copy of all pages of your current Student Aid Report (SAR). If you did not apply for federal financial aid, include copies of your federal tax return and W-2 forms, plus parents' and spouse's tax returns if applicable
5. Portfolio submission: Two samples of original work (video/audio, photographs, scripts, etc.)

Selection Calendar

Applicants are evaluated on academic records, academic plans and career goals, financial need (for educational purposes), community service, essay quality (including grammar, punctuation, and spelling), letter of recommendation, and portfolio submission. All selection decisions are final and not subject to appeal.

How the Scholarship Compares to Other Film Funding

The NHFA scholarship is restricted to graduate students at eight specific universities. For context, here are the approximate annual tuitions at those institutions for 2025-2026:

Note: Yale School of Drama eliminated tuition for all current and future students in 2023, making the NHFA scholarship less financially critical for Yale drama students, though it still provides supplementary support for living expenses and materials.

At institutions charging $65,000 to $70,000 per year in tuition, even a $10,000 scholarship covers approximately 14 percent of annual tuition. Most NHFA recipients will need to combine the scholarship with university financial aid, federal loans, assistantships, and other funding sources.

Who Should Apply

Latino graduate students enrolled full-time at Yale, Harvard, Columbia, NYU, Northwestern, UCLA, USC, or UT Austin who are pursuing a degree in film, theater, broadcast communications, entertainment law, or entertainment business management, and who have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

The scholarship is particularly valuable for students at the higher-tuition institutions (USC, NYU, Columbia, Northwestern) where graduate film school costs exceed $65,000 per year. Students at UT Austin (in-state) or Yale (tuition-free drama program) may find the financial impact smaller but can still benefit from the NHFA network and industry connections.

Students at universities not on the list should not apply. The NHFA does not make exceptions to the eight-school restriction. Latino graduate students at other institutions should look at other funding sources in the Film Scholarships Directory.

Common Confusions

The scholarship is only for graduate students, not undergraduates. The NHFA explicitly requires applicants to be graduate students enrolled full-time at one of the eight partner universities. Undergraduate students are not eligible under any circumstances.

Only eight universities are eligible. The restriction to Yale, Harvard, Columbia, NYU, Northwestern, UCLA, USC, and UT Austin is a hard rule. Students at other film schools (AFI, CalArts, Emerson, Ringling, etc.) are not eligible. The NHFA selected these eight institutions based on their track record of creating career opportunities in media, telecommunications, and entertainment.

The award amount is not fixed. Unlike some scholarships that advertise a specific dollar amount, the NHFA does not publish a fixed award figure on its current website. Historical sources reference amounts up to $10,000, but applicants should not assume a specific award amount. Contact the NHFA directly at info@hispanicarts.org or (202) 293-8330 for current award information.

The recommendation letter must be confidential. The NHFA requires the recommender to send the letter directly to info@hispanicarts.org, not to the applicant. Letters submitted by the applicant themselves will not be accepted.

See Also

For guidance on graduate film programs, see Choosing a Film School. To plan your student film production, use the Production Budget Calculator. For exploring other funding opportunities, browse the full Film Scholarships Directory.