Ways to Give Back

Endowed Funds

Gifts to an endowed fund multiply the value of the gift by building the fund’s principal; such gifts enable both program growth and student access.

Program Director Endowment

Created by a program alumna, gifts to this fund are critical to its future. Because the Workshop receives no outside funding, student tuitions alone support each summer. But someone is needed year round to build the next summer’s experience and keep the results remarkable. Think of this fund as the linchpin to each summer’s success. Be a part of that success through your gift.

Celia Teitelbaum-Zwerdling
Endowed Scholarship

“I have a deep interest in writing. I’ve been writing…since second grade.” -Celia, 1995

Endowed by the family and friends of Celia Teitelbaum-Zwerdling (1995-1997), this scholarship prioritizes first-time applicants, making it possible for one or more young writers to attend who want to take that first step and need support to do it. Celia was a talented and devoted young writer who, over the course of three years’ attendance, became a valued member of the Workshop community. Her abiding interest in writing, along with her presence, are gratefully sustained through this annual award.

“YWW was one of the most Glorious experiences of my life.” -India, 1988

Through this endowed scholarship, the parents of India Mara Stanley (1987, 1988) memorialize their daughter, a program alumna and later a vital residential staff member (1991), and the influence that the Workshop experience had on her life as a writer. India’s passion for poetry only deepened as she worked faithfully to honor it well into her adult life. By supporting deserving young writers with need whose work reflects both practice and promise, this fund will sustain India’s enduring commitment.  

India Mara Stanley Endowed Scholarship

Parent Alumni Endowed Scholarship Fund

Parents repeatedly testify to the impact of Young Writers: Thank you for hosting a remarkable summer session. My daughter participated…and it was truly life-altering for her. She discovered things about herself and her abilities that parents, teachers, and friends could never have imparted. - A.C., Alumni Parent. Every summer, parents step up to “pay it forward” and, as a result, their scholarship reached an endowment level that grows each year, making “the Young Writers experience” possible for so many others.

Annually-Funded Scholarships

Gifts to an annually-funded scholarships add to the number of students the program can support; they also increase the fund’s potential to grow to an endowment level with enough donor participation.

Young Black Writer Scholarship

The Young Black Writer Scholarship was created by a program alumna in response to the 2020 George Floyd incident that led her to consider what she could do to “elevate Black voices.” Proposing it to her network of professionals as “a way to make an appreciable difference in someone’s life,” as Young Writers had in her life, she told them, “I’d like to pass that along.” This scholarship funds a promising Black teen writer who needs support to attend.

Greg Howard Memorial Scholarship

Created in memory of a long-time Young Writers songwriting instructor, this scholarship supports students interested in songwriting. To donate to this fund, click the button below and use the “In Memory Of” field to enter “Greg Howard.”

Fredi Davis Scholarship

This scholarship honors the late Fredi Davis, a long-time teacher at Burley Middle School in Charlottesville. Founded by her husband, John Davis, the scholarship supports one student from Charlottesville High School. To donate to this fund, click the button below and use the “In Memory Of” field to enter “Fredi Davis.”

A donor’s preference may be for a fund whose goal is, more generally, to increase access; gifts to this fund underscore the importance of the creative experience for all aspiring young writers.

Gifts to any of the YWW scholarships represent great value to the program; a gift to any fund can be made in honor or in memory of a specific person and will be acknowledged according to the donor’s wishes.

General Scholarship Fund

Planned Gifts

Planned Gifts are a way in which you can join the growing number of alumni and friends who are investing now in the future of Young Writers in ways that will serve to sustain the program years from now. Such gifts include the designation of YWW as a beneficiary of a will, a charitable trust, a retirement plan, even a gift made now that provides you with lifetime income. Other possibilities to consider are _________. Inquire about pursuing any of these options by contacting ________.

Read about ’07-’08 alumna Morgan Goad’s beneficiary designation to YWW.

Other Ways to Give Back

Establish an endowment that yields annual support for whatever purpose you would like. 

Support one young writer with an annual fund.

Create a fellowship to support novice teachers wanting to learn how to teach creative writing craft in their classroom

Start a visiting writers fund to support master classes for young writers by distinguished writers.

Make a monthly pledge to any one of the above funds (the price of a weekly latte or chai of $5 = $20/month; that would go a long way in just a year!).