LGHN Conference Access Scholarship Fund

This $50,000 campaign will unlock equitable access to LGHN’s annual conference—a time-sensitive, career-shaping convening where skills are strengthened, connections are forged, and professional trajectories accelerate.

This moment matters because many LGHN members are self-funded and lack dedicated travel or professional development budgets, even as demand for assistance far exceeds current scholarship capacity.

The campaign will deliver direct financial assistance that covers core costs of participation for scholarship recipients, including conference registration, air travel, hotel accommodations, pre-conference certification courses, and per diems. It will also elevate LGHN’s Emerging Leaders recognition by ensuring award recipients are formally honored at the LGHN Annual Conference or the ICMA annual dinner.

LGHN will track and report outcomes through program records, including scholarship requests received, scholarships awarded (partial or more comprehensive), categories of support provided, and documented recognition moments. Major donors will play a decisive role in expanding access and strengthening the pipeline of rising local government leaders committed to serving minority and disadvantaged communities.

This campaign matters now because LGHN’s annual conference is a time-sensitive, career-shaping opportunity for local government professionals—yet many members are self-funded and lack dedicated travel or professional development budgets. Without scholarship support, financial barriers can keep emerging leaders from participating in the very convening where connections are forged, skills are strengthened, and collective impact is advanced.

Demand already outpaces available resources: on average, about 50 members request financial assistance each year, and LGHN is currently only able to provide fewer than 10 partial scholarships. Waiting means more qualified, high-potential public servants—especially those committed to serving minority and disadvantaged communities—may be unable to access the conference experience and recognition that can accelerate their leadership and broaden their impact.

If this campaign succeeds, LGHN will be able to provide members more equitable access to professional opportunities tied to the annual conference—removing financial barriers that can make attendance out of reach. Scholarship support will enable recipients to fully participate in the conference experience, including professional learning and networking that helps shape careers and strengthen the field.

The campaign also advances LGHN’s Emerging Leaders recognition by ensuring award recipients are formally honored at the LGHN Annual Conference or the ICMA annual dinner. The result is a stronger pipeline of rising local government leaders with expanded social capital—connected to mentors, peers, and collaborators—and better positioned to deliver programs and services that improve quality of life in Hispanic/Latino and other communities.

The campaign will deliver direct financial assistance that covers the core costs of participation for scholarship recipients: conference registration, air travel, hotel accommodations, pre-conference certification courses, and per diems. It will also ensure Emerging Leaders award recipients are formally recognized at the LGHN Annual Conference or the ICMA annual dinner.

LGHN will track and report outcomes through program administration records, including the number of scholarship requests received, the number of scholarships awarded (and whether they are partial or more comprehensive), and the categories of support provided (registration, travel, lodging, certification courses, per diem). LGHN can also document recognition moments for Emerging Leaders recipients as part of conference and dinner programming.

Major-donor partnership is an opportunity to underwrite equitable access to LGHN’s annual conference and to elevate the Emerging Leaders recognition and scholarship program—supporting rising professionals who demonstrate exceptional leadership and a commitment to serving minority and disadvantaged communities.

LGHN can structure a donor relationship around shared goals—expanding access to professional development for self-funded members and strengthening the next generation of local government leaders—while providing clear reporting on scholarships awarded and the specific costs covered.