AAF-Louisville is excited to offer our $2,500 Bud Ballard and $2,500 Diversity Scholarships to qualified rising Juniors or Seniors for the 2025-2026 school year. Please see details of our scholarship below and submit your application by May 9, 2025.

Initial requirements for the scholarship
- Students in an associate’s degree or technical certification program with a minimum of 30 credit hours complete at the time of application. As well as, junior- or senior-level students in a four-year degree program with a minimum of 60 credit hours complete at the time of application.
- A resident of the state of Kentucky or Clark, Floyd, or Harrison counties of Indiana
- Pursuing a college major, degree, or certificate, relating to advertising or marketing communications (including communications, mass communications, journalism, advertising, public relations, marketing, business communications, graphic arts, computer design, multi-media, and English) with the intent of pursuing a career in the field.
Application Process
To apply, please complete the AAF-Louisville Scholarship Online Application and required materials outlined no later than May 9,2025.
- A resume showing interest, activities, and pertinent experience
- A letter of nomination/recommendation from a faculty member
- A copy of the student’s academic transcript
Diversity Scholarship Applicants: A typed essay (500-word maximum) that should tell us something about yourself. It should also reveal your understanding of and need for a more diverse and inclusive workforce for the benefit of the community and the Louisville advertising and communications industry.
Bud Ballard Scholarship: A typed essay (500-word maximum) that should tell us why you are interested in a career in advertising; your career goals and aspirations; how you believe you can contribute to the industry; and how the scholarship will help you achieve your goals.
All materials can also be submitted via email to scholarships@aaflouisville.org
Failure to submit all required materials will result in the disqualification of the application.
Scholarship winners will be notified by June 1, 2025.
The AAF-Louisville Education Foundation Scholarships
AAF-Louisville is dedicated to the vibrancy and diversity of the advertising profession, and many of our programs and initiatives are focused on these goals. Each year, AAF-Louisville awards two $2,500 scholarships for students pursuing careers in an advertising-related field, with one specifically dedicated to minority students. The Bud Ballard and Diversity scholarships are supported by an endowment fund established in 1999, and are sustained through continued fundraising and donations.
Please help us support future leaders in advertising.
AAF-Louisville Education Endowment Fund Seed Capital Donors
Established 1999
The Foundation is an endowment fund of the Community Foundation of Louisville. This purpose is to award scholarships to promising students who are currently studying advertising or a related field and are committed to entering the industry. Special thanks to the generous Founders listed below. Their original donations helped make the scholarship program possible.
FOUNDERS