AFAN 2022 Scholarships & Grants Program
CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF ASTROLOGICAL ADVOCACY
Your AFAN Steering Committee is excited to announce another year of scholarship funding. Over $6,500 has been allocated across 14 separate grants. This is also our first year offering the Linea Van Horn Road to Certification Scholarship, sponsored by the San Francisco Astrological Society. The purpose of these scholarships is to provide members with the resources to further their astrological knowledge, enhance their professional skills and engage more with the astrological community. In addition, AFAN seeks to support equity and inclusion within the astrological community with two scholarships specifically designed to address these needs.
The winners will be announced on International Astrology Day
APPLICATIONS:
OPEN February 11, 2022
CLOSE Feb 28, 2022
Please note that in order to be eligible to apply for a scholarship you must be a current AFAN member.
Conference Awards
4 Conference Choice Scholarships – $450
Conference scholarships give financial support to those wishing to attend conferences, in-person or virtual. Awardees of the Conference Choice Scholarship will be required to perform a minimum of 1⁄2 hour per day service at the AFAN booth during the conference if one exists in person and agree to be interviewed/featured in the AFAN Quarterly magazine and send a hi-resolution color photo of yourself and write a short description of who you are and your involvement in astrology. Funds may be used for NORWAC, NCGR, ISAR, or similar conferences.
Education Awards
5 Study Stipends – $500
The award may be used for one course or term of study online or in person, up to a maximum of $500. Awardees agree to be interviewed/featured in the AFAN Quarterly magazine and send a hi-resolution color photo of yourself and write a short description of who you are and your involvement in astrology.
Community Support
1 Local Group Grant – $500
To support costs incurred by a local group, such as venue hire, website costs, incorporation costs, etc. Local Group leaders agree to be interviewed/featured in the AFAN Quarterly magazine and send a hi-resolution color photo of yourself and write a short description of who you are and your involvement in astrology.
Professional Astrology
1 Professional Development Grant – $500
To support a professional astrologer to devote time to research, writing, or furthering the development of our field. Awardee agrees to be interviewed/featured in the AFAN Quarterly magazine and send a hi-resolution color photo of yourself and write a short description of who you are and your involvement in astrology.
Equity & Inclusion
AFAN is committed to diversity, inclusion, and advocating for the equitable participation of historically underrepresented groups in astrology. Two specific scholarships will be awarded to address these needs.
1 Conference or Study Stipend Scholarship for BIPOC Astrologers – $500
Awardee agrees to be interviewed/featured in the AFAN Quarterly magazine and send a hi-resolution color photo of yourself and write a short description of who you are and your involvement in astrology.
1 Conference or Study Stipend Scholarship for LGBQT+ Astrologers – $500
Awardee agrees to be interviewed/featured in the AFAN Quarterly magazine and send a hi-resolution color photo of yourself and write a short description of who you are and your involvement in astrology.
Special Award
1 Linea Van Horn Road to Certification Scholarship – $300
Funded by the San Francisco Astrological Society in honor of Linea Van Horn. Recipients of this scholarship are on a path to astrological certification through an established astrological organization, school, or nonprofit. Funds can be applied not only to testing fees and expenses but also the costs incurred by the purchase of books and other learning materials, classes, workshops, personal tutoring, software, subscriptions, and any other expense incurred in the process of preparing for and taking a certification examination.
Awardee agrees to be interviewed/featured in the AFAN Quarterly magazine and send a hi-resolution color photo of yourself and write a short description of who you are and your involvement in astrology.
About Linea Van Horn
Certified Astrologer (CA), Linea Van Horn, is the Astrologer at Large and Founder/President Emerita of the San Francisco Astrological Society (1992 – 2014). Professional since 1998, she is an experienced astrological advisor, respected teacher, published author, and dynamic public speaker. Linea is fully certified through both NCGR-PAA (Level IV), as well as the Organization for Professional Astrology. She has served for many years on the Board of Examiners for NCGR and has guided many students through the certification process. She believes that Certification through an organization or school is crucial to increasing the status and professionalism of our field. The process of certification can be long and arduous, and this scholarship fund is specifically designed to support students who are working towards it, as well as candidates who are ready to sit for an exam.
Application and Selection Process
Conference Scholarships and Study Stipends are awarded up to the amount listed and funds are sent directly to the conference/learning institution. Grants are cash awards sent directly to awardees.
All current AFAN members are eligible to apply for scholarships. You may apply to more than one award category, but you can only be awarded one. If you won during the previous 2 years, you may not apply again.
Applications will only be accepted via this Google Form but please email scholarships@afan.org if you have any questions.
For Study Stipends and Professional Development Grants, please ensure you include the cost for the specific study term or project proposal.
For Local Group grants only, please provide the names of two group members/ organizers, along with a mission statement, and how the funding will be used to support the mission. The member applying on behalf of the group must be an AFAN member. This scholarship is not available to groups associated with other astrological organizations.
Scholarship and Grant recipients agree to be interviewed/featured in the AFAN Quarterly magazine and send a hi-resolution color photo of yourself and write a short description of who you are and your involvement in astrology. Conference scholarship recipients agree to also assist the AFAN membership table during the conference.
Scholarships are awarded based on need, involvement with astrology and the astrological community, and the overall quality of the application.
If you are a champion of community and inclusion, know the audience you serve, and do not underestimate the positive impact thoughtful astrology can create, please apply.
Introduce yourself and tell us exactly how you would spend the money via the application form:
https://forms.gle/jMMSR3o26FBrBEFj7
Applications close February 28th, 2022
Decisions will be made in early March, so hop to it!!
With cosmic encouragement,
Your 2022 AFAN Scholarship Committee Co-Chairs
Amy Weiland & Nikki Burst
scholarships@afan.org
2021 AFAN Scholarship & Grant Recipients
Archer Beren is a second year student at the Portland School of Astrology. They hold a Bachelor in English from Portland State University and work as a professional astrologer, tarot reader, singer/songwriter, karaoke jockey, and educator. They have called Portland, Oregon home for the last 15 years and live with their partner Dianna and adorable Ragdoll kitten, Trjegul. They plan to further their practice of astrology and shift to a full-time astrology practice over the next year!
Angelita Biscotti is a Virgo Sun, Taurus Moon, Aquarius Rising — and a non-binary feminine Spanish-Filipinx astrologer currently living in unceded Boon Wurrung Country in Melbourne, Australia. Her astrological practice is a queer, poetic take on evolutionary astrology that emphasises growth and activism through everyday acts of surviving ancestral and early-life trauma and historical injustice. Website: http://angelitabiscotti.squarespace.com
Nikki Burst is a traditional astrologer, tarot reader, poet and writer. She studied for two years with Acyuta-Bhava Das (formerly Adam Elenbaas) at The Nightlight Astrology School and received a certificate in Horary from The School of Traditional Astrology under the tutelage of Deborah Houlding, Lee Lehman, Eve Dembowski, and Wade Caves. Nikki earned a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing through the Riggio Honors Program at The New School. She lives in Hobart, New York with her little family and burgeoning farm.
I’m David Fischer, a queer traditional astrologer from Brazil. I specialize in the use of Hellenistic techniques and am focused on applying them to the lives of marginalized individuals as part of my research. My goal is to bridge the access of these people to our community by creating new language to address old paradigms, thus creating a truly inclusive form of Astrology.
Babs Law is a Hellenistic astrologer based in Brooklyn, NY. They are deeply interested in developing a practice that is both steeped in ancient traditions while simultaneously rooted in modern, radical and inclusive praxis. After years of self-study, they plan to use this much needed and appreciated scholarship to buy professional coursework and study under their heroes in the field.
Sandra Lee, aka Stellarlee Astrology, embraces her Gemini Midheaven with dual careers as an astrologer and library technician. While completing the Federation of Australian Astrologers Practitioner’s Diploma during Covid lockdowns, Sandra was inspired to begin planning a not-for-profit Australian astrological lending library, enabling professionals, students and enthusiasts to access a broad selection of astrological texts for exams, research and curiosity. After a lengthy gestation, and thanks to AFAN support, Astro*Lend Library will be launching soon!
Francesca Lisette is a poet, artist, astrologer & teacher from London. Since beginning their astrological practice in 2015, they have worked primarily with artists, uniting astrology, embodiment and creativity. Francesca has published two collections of poetry, performance writing & artistic ephemera: Teens (Mountain, 2012) and sub rosa: The Book of Metaphysics (Boiler House Press, 2018). As of Fall 2021, they will be a PhD candidate in Creative Writing & Literature at the University of Denver.
Catie Lune is an Astrologer based out of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. She utilizes psychological & humanistic astrology to understand the mechanics of personality and discover deeper drives and motivation. She is passionate about exploring the emotional process, mental wellness, and inherited conditions via generational and social influence. As a young, queer woman Catie views astrology through a modern lens that challenges archaic concepts of gender and encourages individuals to better understand and embrace themselves.
Karma Martell – Astrologer, Digital Marketer and Branding Expert, Certified Advanced Kundalini Yoga Instructor, Professional Singer and Songwriter. Karma was a student of the late, great Robert Zoller. She is currently engaged in study with Rick Levine, and is a member of NCGR NY chapter and AFAN. Years of connecting dots as a cross-discipline creative has led Karma to the juncture of applying kundalini yoga as a form of experiential astrology and astrological remedy. Karma is suggesting remedies for private astrology clients as well as teaching Kundalini kriyas and meditations in a group setting based on the transits, ingresses and aspects of the period, and new and full moons. She adds her original music and vocals to complete the experience in her classes.
Finnegan Saturn (they/he) is a creative writer, psychology enthusiast, and Astrologer-to-be who lives on unceded Kalapuyan land. As a Disabled, autistic, and queer non-binary person; they are passionate about advocating for accessibility and hope to contribute more representation and intersectionality in the Astrological community. He plans to start with Hellenistic Astrology as a foundational education and eventually incorporate psychological and medical Astrology, as a means to offer specialized guidance that caters to other Disabled people.
Jae Spann (Brisbane, Australia) I’m a Virgo rising with the Sun in Gemini and Moon in Pisces. I’ve always been interested in astrology but my interest piqued a few years ago when I was at a crossroads in my life. Curious to understand the world and how to work with its energies, I attended my first Astrology workshop in January 2020. I loved it! By March, I changed jobs to pursue Astrology studies and explore future opportunities.
Tatianni is a life-long student of astrology and nature-based spirituality. She is enrolled in Astrology University’s four-year certification program. She honors her ancestors as a reconnecting Afro-Taino through her astrological and spiritual practice, environmental and political activism and education, and creative pursuits. Tatianni studied poetry and visual design at the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies at the University of Redlands. She currently resides in Lenapehoking (Brooklyn, NY).
Jenni Todd is a freelance content creator living in Seattle, WA. I graduated from Boston University summa cum laude in 2020 with a bachelor’s in journalism, as an alumna of the Harriet E. Richards Cooperative House, a speciality residence for low-income undergraduates. I began studying astrology roughly halfway through my degree, and I felt like I’d found a system for studying the universe that I could finally sink my teeth into, something truly kaleidoscopic – ever contracting and expanding. I am thrilled to further my education with the help of AFAN’s mentorship, and I fully intend on spending the rest of this 12H in Sagittarius profection year studying my buns off. Before moving to New England and the Pacific Northwest, I resided in America’s second smallest state, better known on t-shirts as Delawhere? When I’m not hounding friends and family for their birth times, you can find me ogling other people’s dogs or listening to my favorite podcasts.
Astrology Victoria is a group located in Victoria, BC, Canada. Our purpose is to connect astrologers and astrology enthusiasts with each other to support one another and to share information, resources, and events. We host bi-weekly events including casual Astro Chats and more formal Astro Talks featuring professional astrologers. Our events are currently online due to COVID-19, so we have been fortunate enough to meet with individuals from around the globe during our meetings!