Bonner Leaders Program

The mission of the Bonner Scholars and Bonner Leaders Programs is to transform the lives of students and members, the life of their campuses, their local communities, and the world through service and leadership. The Bonner Program is designed to heighten the overall education students and members receive by asking them to engage in ongoing service work and helping them develop the experience, skills, knowledge and values necessary to make that work meaningful and lasting.

In 1997, the Bonner Foundation began an effort to expand its original model of service-based scholarships. The model was initially created as part of the Bonner Scholars Program in 1990. Today, the Foundation currently works with more than 50 institutions nation wide that have begun chapters of the Bonner Leader Program.

Campuses in the Bonner Leader Program have each designed innovative models that use federal work-study funds, AmeriCorps Education Awards, and institutional support to create scholarship stipends for students involved in community service as part of the Bonner Program.

Each of these campuses has a core group of 5-30 students who work on issues such as improving educational opportunities and fighting hunger through community programs that focus on literacy issues, mentoring, and nutrition/anti-hunger initiatives.

As part of the Bonner Program's Student Development Model, these students also participate in regular training and reflection activities sponsored by their campuses, their community partners, and the Bonner Foundation.

The Bonner Foundation, the Bonner Scholars Program, and the Bonner Leaders Program hold these Common Commitments:

• Social Justice
• Civic Engagement
• Spiritual Exploration
• Diversity
• International Perspective
• Community Building