2026 Maranatha Scholarships
Maranatha at The Riverside Church seeks to foster greater understanding and equity for LGBTQ people and their allies. We offer three $1,250 scholarships to students who identify as part of the LGBTQ community: the John Fiske Robson Music Scholar Award, the Edgar Richards Scholarship Award and the Dr. Ronald B. Lonesome Medical Scholarship Award. To learn more about each of these scholarships please read the information below and click the appropriate link following the description.
The application deadline to apply for all scholarships is
April 28, 2026, at 11:59pm.
John Fiske Robson Music Scholar Award
John joined The Riverside Church in the early 1970s and was a founding member of Maranatha. He served as Treasurer for several years and relished the role of “cash box custodian” at numerous Maranatha events. He continued as an active member until his death in 2013. John was a generous individual, specifying that his life insurance proceeds go to several charitable projects, one of which is the John Fiske Robson Music Scholar Award.
Click Here to Learn More and Apply
The Edgar Richards Scholarship Award
Edgar Richards fell in love with The Riverside Church and was a leader of the Maranatha ministry. He facilitated tackling the concerns of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community through education and action, while providing fellowship and spiritual community at The Riverside Church.
Click Here to Learn More and Apply
The Dr. Ronald B. Lonesome Medical Scholarship
Dr. Ronald B. Lonesome was a dedicated clinician, educator, and advocate for LGBTQ rights.
Dr. Lonesome’s interest in psychiatry was sparked by a family member’s hospitalization. He had a transformative education at Howard University which led to a medical internship in Los Angeles during early deinstitutionalization, where he saw the impact of inadequate community support. He took psychiatric residency at Columbia’s New York State Psychiatric Institute, later becoming a leader in psychiatry and substance abuse. An openly gay man, he integrated his Christian faith and sexuality through The Riverside Church’s Maranatha Ministry and Faith Leaders LGBT of African Descent. Dr. Lonesome remained active in community service until his passing in 2020.