ACLU of Florida Social Media Civic Engagement Scholarship

The ACLU of Florida is awarding four $5,000 scholarships to high school and college students who use their creativity and platform to fight for reproductive freedom, democracy, and civil liberties.

This isn’t just a scholarship—it’s a chance to educate, mobilize, and inspire. If you’re ready to use your voice to protect Floridians' rights, this is for you.

Students are invited to respond to the video prompt below, to conduct their own research, showcase the stakes and importance of our freedoms, and inspire other young Floridians to learn more about Florida’s Amendment 4 (2024).

To apply, students will create a video and post it to either their public TikTok or Instagram profile citing the ACLU FL’s work to protect reproductive freedom and democracy in the state. Once you have done so, upload and submit the links using this form.

Winners will be chosen based on follower reach, views, and user engagement of the video. Videos must speak to the importance of reproductive freedom, the need to limit government interference in private medical decisions and/or the importance of citizen-led ballot initiatives being fair and free from government intervention. Winners will be notified by July 18. Scholarship funds will be disbursed directly to the educational institution on behalf of the scholarship recipient and may be used at career and technical schools, colleges, or universities.

Videos must be educational. Inaccurate content, misinformation, and candidate or party endorsements are disqualifying. You can download the PDF file below for further guidance on the video.

No paid staff, board member, or family member of a board or staff member of the ACLU of Florida can apply.

• Graduating Florida high school seniors
• Florida high school graduates currently enrolled in an accredited vocational school, community college, or university.
• All applicants must be U.S. Citizens.

This scholarship is designed to support the next generation of activists, storytellers, and change-makers who aren’t afraid to stand up and speak out.

• Create a public video on TikTok and/or Instagram that responds to the prompt below and cites the ACLU of Florida’s work in protecting reproductive freedom and democracy.
• Submit your video link and application form.

• Reach matters—but the impact is everything.
  ✔ Videos will be judged on engagement, views, and ability to educate & inspire action.
  ✔ Creativity, clarity, and accuracy will set you apart.
• Deadline: July 11, 2025
• Winners Announced: July 18, 2025

• Misinformation and inaccuracies will result in immediate disqualification.
• No endorsements of political candidates or elected officials.
• ACLU FL staff, board members, and their family members are not eligible.
• We kindly request that applicants refrain from tagging our organization in social media posts related to their video submissions until we have completed our review to ensure they meet the scholarship’s legal requirements. After the winners are announced, we will share the selected videos on our official platforms.

On November 5, 2024, 57.2% of Floridians (over 6 million people) voted to end the state’s extreme abortion ban—but because of an undemocratic 60% threshold, the will of the people was ignored.

During the campaign, Florida politicians launched an unprecedented campaign against the constitutional amendment that would have stopped state interference with private medical decisions and protected access to abortion:

• They sent election police to petition signers’ homes.
• They spread lies and ran state-funded misinformation ads.
• They tried to erase reproductive freedom from the ballot entirely.
• They added a member of the Heritage Foundation (authors of Project 2025) to a pivotal 4-member state committee responsible for ballot language.
• They spent tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to defeat Amendment 4.
• They threatened media outlets for running paid political ads supporting Amendment 4.
• They threatened the medical licenses of doctors who spoke out about the current abortion ban.

And, now, politicians in Tallahassee have proposed legislation that would make it even harder for citizens to get initiatives on the ballot and limit access to this process to only the wealthiest by making it harder to use volunteers to collect petitions instead of paid petition gatherers, increasing restrictions for petition gathering, creating unreasonable and onerous deadlines for petitions to be submitted and an excessive $1 million bond requirement that would make it impossible for ordinary citizens to initiate the amendment process.

Your Video Should Answer One or More of These Questions:

• Why is it critical to defend reproductive freedom in Florida?
• How can we reclaim our civil rights and liberties, and particularly reproductive freedom, in Florida?
• How do extreme policies—like abortion bans—undermine democracy?
• What would it mean for reproductive rights if Florida were truly free?

Make it personal. Make it powerful. Make it impossible to ignore.

The ACLU of Florida is on the frontlines of the fight for civil liberties, democracy, and justice. As the state affiliate of the nation’s leading civil rights organization, we are relentlessly committed to defending the fundamental freedoms enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Through bold litigation, strategic advocacy, and transformative public education, we challenge unconstitutional laws, hold the line against government overreach, and protect the rights of all Floridians—no matter who they are.

This moment is bigger than politics. The ACLU of Florida is nonpartisan—we don’t endorse candidates. But make no mistake: our civil liberties and democracy itself are at stake. When political leaders attack our voting rights, reproductive freedom, free speech, and equality, we must take action. Because freedom isn’t granted—it’s won.

We believe in a Florida where every voice is heard, every vote counts, and every person is free to live without discrimination, oppression, or government interference.

The Social Media Civic Engagement Scholarship is rooted in this commitment. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, or any other protected characteristic.

We fight for everyone—because civil rights belong to all of us.

DO:

✔ Educate and Inform – Break down Florida’s extreme abortion ban and explain how it endangers lives, restricts freedoms, and undermines democracy. Show the real-life consequences and why reproductive freedom is essential.

✔ Empower and Mobilize – Focus on the power people have to fight back. Highlight how Floridians can hold elected leaders accountable through civic engagement, voting, advocacy, and community organizing.

✔ Amplify Impacted Voices – Center the communities most affected by these harmful laws, including:

• People who have the least resources and least access to reproductive health care.
• BIPOC communities, which are disproportionately harmed by abortion bans.
• LGBTQ+ individuals, especially trans and nonbinary people who need access to reproductive care.
• Disabled individuals, who already face medical discrimination.
• Students and teachers, who are fighting against censorship and reproductive health misinformation.
• Women, immigrants, and anyone who can become pregnant and deserve control over their own bodies.

✔ Expose the Bigger Picture – Connect the dots between abortion bans, book bans, censorship, voter suppression, the attack on the citizen-led amendment process, and attacks on democracy. These policies are part of a larger effort to strip away fundamental rights and silence dissent.

✔ End on Action and Hope – Acknowledge the threats to our rights, but emphasize solutions. Show that change is possible when we organize, mobilize, and refuse to stay silent.

DON’T:

✘ Endorse or Promote Political Candidates – This fight is bigger than any one election. Focus on policies, laws, and activism—not politicians.

✘ Name Specific Elected Officials – Keep the focus on the systemic threats to reproductive rights and democracy, rather than individual politicians.

✘ Spread Misinformation or Fearmongering – Videos must be fact-based, accurate, and empowering. Avoid exaggerations, conspiracy theories, or fear tactics—the truth is already powerful enough.

✘ Make It Only About the Problem – We need solutions, not just outrage. Show what people can do right now to fight back.

Your voice matters. Your story matters. Your activism matters. Use this opportunity to educate, inspire, and take action!

For application clarifications, email media@aclufl.org.