Advancing EQUITY in the profession by sponsoring promising students with focused and sustained financial support

Created in 1992 as the Minority Architectural Scholarship, this fund was renamed the Clarence Wigington Architectural Scholarship to recognize the extraordinary professional and civic accomplishments of the first African American municipal architect in the United States and the first licensed African American architect in Minnesota. The Fund supports underrepresented students who have a specific interest in pursuing a professional architecture degree leading toward becoming an Architect. 

Double Your Impact During our $50,000 Bridge the Gap Campaign!

The MAF has received an unexpected and deeply generous commitment from an anonymous donor to provide a $50,000 donation to the Wigington Fund, if fundraising of new dollars from others can match this amount.

You can help us reach this goal by:

  • Making a donation of any amount! 
  • Recruiting donors within your circle 
  • Sharing this message with your network

The Wigington Scholarship reduces barriers to entering the profession of architecture by expanding knowledge of and exposure to the profession among young people in underrepresented communities, building community and cultural networks related to the profession, and reducing the financial burden of an architectural education. 


Current Scholars

Pictured left to right, top to bottom: Ruweyda Mohamed, Mateo Gonzalez, Esther Oluwalowo, Mia-Rose Peters, Zavian Neal, Allemu Slattery, and  Nangnee Xiong

In 2024, the Clarence Wigington Architectural Scholarship committee selected three scholarship recipients who will receive $2,500 each semester through completion of their Master of Architecture program.  These three recipients join continuing Wigington scholars Mateo Gonzalez and Mia-Rose Peters, students at Dunwoody Collage of Technology and University of Minnesota students Ruweyda Mohamed and Esther Oluwalowo. The 2024 scholarships included funds received from the AIA Component Matching Scholarship Grant program.

  • Allemu Slattery, a Dunwoody College of Technology architecture student headed into his third year of the Architecture program.
  • Zavien Neal, a student at Dunwoody College of Technology with one year remaining in his Architecture program.
  • Nangnee Xiong, a first year Master of Architecture student at the University of Minnesota.

Best of luck to all individuals on their path toward becoming an architect. 

The Wigington Scholarship from Ryan Siemers on Vimeo.

Past Scholarship Recipients

Latoya Dennis, Assoc. AIA: M. Arch degree 2024
Nathan Davies, Assoc. AIA: M. Arch degree 2024
Samuel Fleming: M. Arch degree 2023
Faiza Ahmed Hassan Duale, Assoc. AIA: BArch degree 2023
Laichee Yang, Assoc. AIA: M. Arch degree 2022
Jordan Strickland, Assoc. AIA: M. Arch degree 2021
Jessica Holmes: M. Arch degree 2018
Savannah Steele, Assoc. AIA: M. Arch degree 2018
Josh Ong, AIA: M. Arch. degree 2015
Namdi Alexander: M. Arch degree 2014 
Vanessa Abin-Fuentes, Assoc. AIA: M. Arch degree 2014 
Jonathon Jacobs, Assoc. AIA: M. Arch degree 2013
Keon Blasingame: M. Arch degree 2005
Pauv Thouk: M. Arch degree 2005