Martha Gaunt Bass Endowed Scholarship

In collaboration with the family of Martha Gaunt Bass and the UA Little Rock Center for Gifted Education, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Office of Development has established an endowed scholarship. The scholarship is for a child attending Summer Laureate University for Youth.

These scholarships are open to all students eligible for the Summer Laureate program. All applicants must pay the $25 registration/application fee in order for the scholarship application to be considered. Scholarship amounts are awarded based on financial need, academic merit, and the number of applications received.

Martha Gaunt Bass was a leader in Education. Her many accomplishments included:

• A masters degree project that led to the creation of the Summer Laureate program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock,
• Administrator of Gifted Programs for the Arkansas Department of Education, and
• A member of the Women’s Emergency committee, the political organization that worked to reopen and support Little Rock Public Schools following the 1958 desegregation crisis.

You may choose to complete the application online or by printing and mailing the documents. Parents may complete their portion by hardcopy and the school may choose to complete their portion online, or vice versa, or in any combination.  lease use whichever format is best for you. Just be sure that all parts are completed and received at the Jodie Mahony Center by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.

Martha Gaunt Bass Endowed Scholarship Fund is pleased to be able to provide a limited number of scholarships or partial scholarships to students who show both financial need and academic merit. Students must apply to the Summer Laureate University for Youth (SLUFY) program (ualr.edu/slufy) and pay the $25 nonrefundable registration/application fee before scholarship applications will be reviewed. Please note that scholarship funds are limited and decisions are final.

Scholarship packet must be received fully completed and must include the following:

1. Parent/Guardian form, including a paragraph that is handwritten by the child.
2. School form that must be completed by a school representative (teacher, counselor, principal, or GT Specialist)
3. Documentation of high academic ability (standardized test scores from 2024 or 2025)
4. Documentation or letter from school’s counselor or administrator stating the student participates in the National School Lunch and/or Breakfast Program. Note: If the entire school or the entire district participates in the National School Lunch program, the family will need to provided additional documentation as to need of financial support.
5. Letter of recommendation from school official on why student is in need of financial support for Summer Laureate.

Complete scholarship package must be signed by the student’s current GT teacher, classroom teacher, principal, or school counselor and received at the Jodie Mahony Center by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.

1) In addition to financial need, the student must be able to show that they have the majority of the following:

• Ability to succeed in a course that is 1 to 2 grade levels above the child’s actual grade level
• High interest in the area in which the course is offered
• Strong desire to learn
• Scores at or above the 80th percentile in a major area of an achievement test
• Participation or acceptance to a school gifted program (applicable to students in Grades 3 through 6).

2) Student’s scholarship application must demonstrate financial and academic need.

Part I – Parent/Guardian Form

A. Hardcopy form (to be printed and completed by hand)

or

B. Online form (with place to upload the Student Statement and Parent Approval Form)

Part II – School Form

A. Hardcopy form (to be printed and completed by hand)

or

B. Online form (with a place to upload other documents)