Applications for the 10th annual Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Scholarships open on Saturday 1 March.
Awarded by The Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Foundation (TMBDLF), the scholarships are aimed at future diverse leaders.
They are available to full-time students at a UK education institution – from GCSE to PhD level – to pursue their own education and career ambitions.
A TMBDLF scholarship includes high-level networking opportunities, funding, mentoring from leaders in the student’s chosen field and the possibility of work experience.
“TMBDLF shares a drive to promote diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging while also bridging the gap between education and the workplace,” said Prof Miranda Brawn, a former Lambeth Equality Commissioner, and founder and president of TMBDLF.
“To date, we have helped over 10,000 young leaders both directly and indirectly through our mentoring, talks and workshops while providing thousands of pounds worth of education scholarship to young people from diverse backgrounds.”
Scholarship recipients must have curiosity, passion, and drive and a genuine desire to improve diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, in and out of the workplace, in order to have a positive impact on the world, Prof Brawn said.
The foundation has this year launched new scholarships for “Venture Capital (VC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI)” – which includes taking action on digital inclusion – by awarding a scholarship applicant with a tablet at a UK House of Lords event later this year.
“We awarded our first tablet, which was an Apple iPad, to our youngest recipient in 2017,” said Prof Brawn.
“Other new scholarships for 2025 include Future Leaders on Boards; Kidney Healthcare, in partnership with leading charity Kidney Research UK; University of Roehampton, financial services; and London South Bank University, leadership.
Scholarships are available across many fields of study and sectors for:
- Law – sponsored by leading international law firm ‘Hogan Lovells’
- Finance and business – supported by Goldman Sachs with mentoring
- Science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM)
- Disability and neurodiversity – sponsored by leading international law firm Reed Smith. This scholarship is also open to both part-time and full-time students who are unable to study full-time due to their disability
- Medical – with mentoring support from Guy’s and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust
- Multi-Sector – for applicants in a sector not specifically listed
- Future Leaders on Boards – for all industries and supporting diverse student leaders aiming for the boardroom membership
- Venture Capital (VC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) – for those interested in working in the financial and technology start-up sector with a focus on digital inclusion
- Kidney Healthcare – with support from Kidney Research UK for future leaders with an interest in working to bridge the kidney health gap and/or students on dialysis or kidney transplant recipients.
- University of Roehampton Financial Services – supported by the University of Roehampton for students who will be a business school student at the university from September 2025 to August 2026.
- Leadership – supported by the London South Bank University for students who will be a student at the university from September 2025 to August 2026.
To be eligible for the scholarship programme, students must:
- Meet all the entry requirements for their full-time course
- Enrol as full-time students in the UK
- Have a good academic standard and/or aspire to achieve a good academic standard
- Be able to commit the time and effort necessary to complete the scholarship programme which includes six to eight mentoring sessions from 2025 to 2026
- Have a demonstrable and genuine active interest in diversity.
- There is no restriction on the nationality of the students. You have to be a UK resident. Students from all races and social backgrounds are welcome as long as they meet all the entry requirements for the scholarship program.
Scholarships are available for full-time studies ranging from GCSE to doctorate levels.
TMBDLF does not offer grants or payment of school or university fees directly, but the scholarship funding may be used for this. Funding will be paid upon successful completion of the mentoring programme in 2026.
Successful applications will be announced at the 10th annual Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Lecture on 16 October at the UK House of Lords. This will celebrate the foundation’s 10 years of helping the next generation of leaders from diverse backgrounds of all races to succeed with their education and careers.
The first lecture, on 16 October 2016, was titled Why Diversity Matters when diversity especially racial diversity was not trendy and the elephant in the room,” said Prof Brawn.
“The lecture made UK history as the first diversity leadership lecture aimed at schoolchildren and university students, from diverse backgrounds including Black, Asian and Minority Ethnics, winning many awards including one from the the prime minister Theresa May and personal praise from King Charles III when he was Prince Charles.
This year’s theme will be “THE BIG 10: Why Diversity STILL Matters” after the recent pushback concerning diversity initiatives.
The Charity’s research report The Brawn Review: Boardroom Sustainability, Inclusion and Corporate Governance, which Prof Brawn began work on at the University of Oxford in 2022, will also be launched at the same time.
Applying for a scholarship is free and should take about 20 minutes following the foundation’s application process guidelines: https://www.tmbdlf.com/scholarship-application-details
Application should be submitted before 5pm (UK time) on 30 June this year. Because of the volume received, the foundation does not confirm receipt of applications. For successful applicants, the programme will begin by January 2026 and continue until October of the same year.
More details: https://www.tmbdlf.com/scholarship-programme
If you would like to donate to the charity, follow the link for more information: https://www.tmbdlf.com/how-you-can-donate
Sponsorship opportunities and partnerships are also available by emailing info@tmbdlf.com with “Sponsor/Partner” in the title.
