Opportunity
LAM Family Foundation Scholarship
The LAM Family Foundation Scholarship awards up to $2,500 to students pursuing higher education, with a focus on Cambodian American and first-generation youth.[1] The Light Ahead Movement (LAM), also known as the LAM Family Foundation, offers it as a merit- and character-based award, also called the Light Ahead Scholarship.[2]
Sponsorship
The Light Ahead Movement is a 501(c)(3) Cambodian American family foundation with offices in Long Beach, California, and Dallas, Texas.[1] It was founded by a Cambodian American family whose parents survived the Khmer Rouge genocide. The family set out to fund the students and entrepreneurs those parents never had the chance to become.[1]
The foundation organizes its work in three parts. Educate covers scholarships, mentorship and resources for students. Empower gives business grants, training and mentorship to entrepreneurs in underserved communities. Elevate runs community programs that strengthen families and honor refugee and immigrant heritage.[1] In 2026 it also gave to the Cambodia Town Parade and to Grace Academy of Dallas.[3] Leth Oun serves as an ambassador for the foundation.[1]
Award and support
Each recipient receives up to $2,500. The money may go toward tuition, books, supplies, technology or other qualified educational expenses.[1][3] Recipients are responsible for working out whether funds spent on non-qualified costs, such as room and board, are taxable.[2]
Eligibility
The award is open to students aged 16 to 25 who are high school seniors or current college or graduate students. The foundation's 2026 flyer also includes high school juniors.[1][2] Applicants must be U.S. citizens, permanent residents or DACA recipients, hold a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.0, and show involvement in school, community or volunteer activities.[3] Family members of the foundation's officers, directors and contributors may not apply, and awards are made on an objective and nondiscriminatory basis.[2]
Application
Applicants submit a recent school transcript (an unofficial copy is accepted), a photograph with a short biography, one letter of recommendation from a teacher, counselor, coach, employer or community leader, and an essay.[3][2] The essay answers how the scholarship will help the applicant be a light for others. It explains whom the applicant hopes to help and how many people, what the applicant will do and the difference it will make, the timeline, steps and partners involved, and why that impact matters.[3]
Applications for the next class close on October 1, 2026. Recipients are to be notified in November 2026, and funds are to be paid out in December 2026.[3][4]
Recipients
The foundation held a Scholarship Awards event for its 2026 scholars and their families.[3]
- 2026
- Brynn Bonifaz
- Lola Atkinson
- Alyssa Khem[4]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 The Light Ahead Movement (LAM Family Foundation), home page
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 The Light Ahead Movement, Light Ahead Scholarship flyer (2026, PDF)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 The Light Ahead Movement (LAM Family Foundation), Get Involved
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Light Ahead Movement, 2026 scholarship winners