Harry Bridges Center offers scholarships for UW students

Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies scholarships and fellowships support students engaging in labor studies at the University of Washington

SEATTLE, WA (March 17, 2026) — Do you know an undergrad passionate about social justice? A graduate student writing a dissertation on a labor-related topic? A busy activist building a student group or union campaign?

From the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies:

Each year, the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies awards over $50,000 in scholarships and fellowships to students at the University of Washington. The awards are available to students at multiple stages of education and experience, from incoming first-year to senior graduate students, regardless of documentation status. Individual award amounts range from $1,000 to $10,000. Students at any of the three University of Washington campuses (Seattle, Bothell or Tacoma) are eligible and encouraged to apply.

Photo: Harry Bridges Center

The Labor Studies scholarship online application is currently open for the 2026-2027 academic year, and will remain open until Monday, May 4, 2026, 11:59PM. To access the online application, please navigate to the following link: 2026-2027 HBCLS Scholarship & Fellowship Application.

If you are curious about the scholarship and fellowship selection process, how to strengthen your application, or would like to work on your application collectively with Bridges Center staff and other students, please register for our hybrid Scholarship Information Session. This year’s Scholarship Information Session will be Tuesday, April 7, from 3:00pm to 4:30pm, at the History Lounge, Smith Hall 320. Food will be provided, and dietary restriction information is requested.

View the application instructions and information session RSVP here.

The Harry Bridges Endowed Chair in Labor Studies was established in 1992, in memory of the legendary founding president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. It was funded by a grassroots effort of one thousand union members giving $1,000 each, and thus creating the only endowed chair in the United States to honor a labor leader. The chair is held in two-year terms by professors in alternating departments, and to date has been held by nine professors between the three University of Washington campuses in Seattle, Tacoma, and Bothell. Thirty years later, the chair has grown into the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies, a full-fledged program dedicated to labor education and research. Hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students are enrolled in labor classes, awarded scholarships and research grants, and are provided hands-on experiences in the labor movement through student internships.

For more information about the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies, please visit labor.uw.edu. Connect with the Bridges Center on Facebook, Instagram, and BlueSky.