Matthew Shepard Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Matthew Shepard Foundation is an LGBT
rights group founded in December 1998 by Dennis and Judy Shepard
in memory of their 21-year-old son, Matthew
, who was murdered in Wyoming
in October 1998.
have partnered to create the Matthew Shepard Point Scholarship, naming three scholars each year to receive annual college scholarships of $
10,000 or more. In addition to the monetary award, the scholars become members of the Matthew Shepard Foundation's Youth Advisory Council. Selection of recipients is based on their "academic achievements, as well as a current involvement with helping advance the LGBT community, as well as a demonstrated commitment to helping advance equality in the future."
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
rights group founded in December 1998 by Dennis and Judy Shepard
Judy Shepard
Judy Shepard is the mother of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old student at University of Wyoming who was murdered in October 1998...
in memory of their 21-year-old son, Matthew
Matthew Shepard
Matthew Wayne Shepard was a student at the University of Wyoming who was tortured and murdered near Laramie, Wyoming, in October 1998...
, who was murdered in Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
in October 1998.
The Matthew Shepard Point Scholarship
The Matthew Shepard Foundation and The Point FoundationPoint Foundation (LGBT)
The Point Foundation is the first and largest national foundation to support academic achievement in higher education among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students by providing financial support, mentoring and hope to meritorious students who are marginalized due to sexual orientation,...
have partnered to create the Matthew Shepard Point Scholarship, naming three scholars each year to receive annual college scholarships of $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
10,000 or more. In addition to the monetary award, the scholars become members of the Matthew Shepard Foundation's Youth Advisory Council. Selection of recipients is based on their "academic achievements, as well as a current involvement with helping advance the LGBT community, as well as a demonstrated commitment to helping advance equality in the future."