Who We Are
Our Mission
The mission of Out for Education (formerly the PFLAG/HATCH Youth Scholarship Foundation) is
to provide educational scholarships to Houston area LGBTQIA+ youth.
Our History
The PFLAG/HATCH Youth Scholarship Foundation was a combination of two scholarship programs previously offered by community organizations in Houston. In 1998, two non-profit organizations, PFLAG-Houston and Houston Area Teen Coalition of Homosexuals (H.A.T.C.H.), separately raised funds for scholarships but combined their efforts to jointly qualify youth applicants for scholarship awards. The project proved to be so successful that the two organizations decided in 1999 to incorporate a new, stand-alone foundation named the PFLAG/HATCH Youth Scholarship Foundation and used this new entity to unify their scholarship programs.
PFLAG/HATCH Youth Scholarship Foundation was formed as a tax-exempt entity separate from each of PFLAG-Houston and H.A.T.C.H., but each of these original sponsors continued contributions of time and resources. Many of the scholarship recipients are still involved in PFLAG or H.A.T.C.H., which is now operated by the Montrose Center.
With incredible support from the community, we have been able to award scholarships only because of those investing in students year after year. Writing one of the first checks for the organization, Curtis Wolff – a native Houstonian – invests in the top female and male student every awards season. Because of his support, we are lucky enough to award two students with a $10,000 scholarship every year.
In 2013, PFLAG/HATCH Youth Scholarship Foundation was renamed Out For Education, for simplicity and identity purposes. We are out. We are for education. We are Out For Education.
Out For Education is one of the most successful LGBTQIA+ scholarship-granting foundations in the United States, dedicated to the purpose of providing LGBTQIA+ scholarships to Houston-area LGBTQIA+ youth. Having granted over 350 LGBTQIA+ scholarships valued at $1.7 million dollars, Out For Education’s contribution to Houston’s LGBTQIA+ youth is fundamental to the continued development and re-affirmation of their self concept. Out For Education believes that, by assisting our LGBTQIA+ youth in their educations, we are providing a vibrant future for the LGBTQIA+ community.
We remain one of Houston’s largest LGBTQIA+/GLBT 501(c)3 non-profit organizations, and we rely on the community for support annually.
Frequently Asked Questions
We were founded by PFLAG-Houston and H.A.T.C.H., and we have been a separate organization from PFLAG-Houston and H.A.T.C.H. since 1999, and HATCH has become part of the Montrose Center. Since 1999, we have retained strong ties with both organizations.
PFLAG-Houston still provides funding for a scholarship, and H.A.T.C.H. students are recipients of many of our scholarships. Like PFLAG and H.A.T.C.H., we are dedicated to improving the lives of young LGBTQ+ individuals.
Yes! We are the same organization with the same board of directors. The only difference is our name change.
We wanted to make it easier to describe who we are. PFLAG/HATCH Youth Scholarship Foundation (or PHYSF) was difficult to say, remember, and to write down. Out for Education captures the essence of our organization. We are out. We are for education. We are out for education.
Meet our Board Members
