The Fondation du Grand-Duc et de la Grande-Duchesse has announced that it is setting up a new scholarship for single parents pursuing or wishing to pursue higher education in Luxembourg.

The Board of Directors of the charity, chaired by Her Royal Highness the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, has decided to set up a scholarship for single parent students following an increase in requests for assistance from students, especially single parents, throughout 2020. Faced with the urgency of these requests, the charity subsequently made ad hoc financial assistance available to the social services of the University of Luxembourg and the Fondation Biermans-Lapôtre in Paris as part of its COVID-19 intervention programme.

Nevertheless, the Fondation has found that the precarious situation of single parent students remains a systemic problem that requires a better adapted and more long-lasting response. Long committed to the education of young women, the Grand Duchess, who is the President of the Fondation, thus wished to set up a scholarship aimed at single parents wishing to pursue post-secondary studies. This initiative is also part of the charity's ongoing commitment to help single-parent families in Luxembourg, mostly made up of mothers with children.

This scholarship is linked to several criteria:

  • it is intended for single-parent families in which the mother or father is pursuing or wishes to start post-secondary studies:
  • the studies must be carried out in Luxembourg and the applicant must reside in the Grand Duchy;
  • the granting of the scholarship is linked to merit, so as not to be deducted from state aid from CEDIES;
  • the grant will be awarded in the form of direct housing assistance, up to a maximum of €300 per month, for an entire school year;
  • applications can be made throughout the year.

A commission will conduct a social survey and award the scholarship, taking into account social criteria. Beyond the financial aspect of this scholarship, successful applicants will benefit from personalised social support.

The Fondation has also established a partnership with the S.I.S. Youth & Work in order to help single mothers who do not have a school diploma. The objective of this project is to best prepare these young women for an independent and decent quality of life by facilitating their access to the job market or offering them qualifying training.

The rules and the registration form can be requested via email: info@fondation-grand-ducale.lu.