What started as a small scholarship program is now a comprehensive personal, professional and leadership development program designed to meet the unique needs of young Black men. Our leadership development program has four programmatic pillars. 

Scholarships

We award $15,000 over four years to Black male graduates of Denver area high schools and $5,000 annual, renewable scholarships to scholars pursuing graduate degrees. In 2023, we awarded 7 new scholarships to incoming freshmen and one scholarship to a graduate student. All recipients may attend any accredited college or university in the U.S. The 2023-2024 school year will have a total of 32 DEBF Scholars, 27 undergraduates and 5 graduate scholars. These 32 individuals will receive funds and actively participate in our programs.

Mentoring

Every Scholar is matched with a Boule fraternity member to mentor and support him throughout his college experience. Each Mentor communicates with his Scholar at least twice a month through the duration of his scholarship. Additionally, Scholars participate in networking and volunteer events with Mentors, other Boule members, community leaders, fellow Scholars and alumni.

Internships

Internships is another cornerstone of our program. We feel internships are a critical professional development opportunity for our scholars during their four years as undergraduates. We partner with local companies and agencies in metro Denver to provide paid internships but our scholars also gain internship experience on a national level. Approximately 70% of our scholars have participated in paid internships in multiple career fields since we launched this program in 2016.

Professional Development Institute

Through this training program, our volunteer instructors teach proven strategies for successfully navigating the professional world as young Black men. Boule members and other Black leaders share their knowledge and experience to help scholars develop professional behaviors, improve their resumes, practice elevator pitches, and navigate the job search and hiring process. The Institute works to deconstruct both real and perceived barriers that our young men face in developing their professional careers.