Introduction
In 1998, Congress enacted an amendment to the Higher Education Act that denies loans, grants, even work study jobs to tens of thousands of would-be students every year who have drug convictions. All these young people, who have already been punished once for their offenses, are being forced to spend more time working to pay for school, reducing their course loads or dropping out of school entirely.

In response to this situation, the DRCNet (Drug Reform Coordination Network) Foundation, in association with Students for Sensible Drug Policy and other friends of civil liberties, has created the John W. Perry Fund. By providing assistance to a few of the people losing aid under this law, the John W. Perry Fund will make a powerful statement that will build opposition to the law among the public and in Congress and let thousands of young people around the country know about the campaign to repeal it.

Who will receive scholarships?
The John W. Perry Fund will award scholarships of up to $2,000 to students affected by the HEA drug provision, who have the greatest financial need (educational expenses less other available resources), but also for whom our assistance will be most likely to be effective in enabling them to both attend and succeed in school. Applicants will have the option to spend scholarship funds on drug treatment programs to restore their eligibility for federal aid; however, applicants are encouraged to use this option only if they have an actual substance abuse problem. It is projected that the typical award will be in the neighborhood of $1,000.

The government's own financial aid worksheets will be one tool used to assess an applicant's need, but the fund will also consider individual circumstances and experiences that may have placed especially great obstacles in the way of a given student's ability to pursue higher education (e.g., socioeconomic disadvantage, physical or learning disability, incarceration, drug addiction, etc.).

More than 100,000 students or would-be students have officially been denied aid since the drug provision was enacted, plus an unknown number who didn't apply because they rightly or wrongly believed they were ineligible. Aid denied annually is in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

The initial fundraising goal of $100,000 will directly help only a small fraction of the students affected by the Higher Education Act's drug provision. However, the John W. Perry Fund is also a strategic component of a larger plan to raise awareness and help students until the law is repealed:

* The fund will share applicants' info (with permission) with scholarship providers and community foundations to turn our handful of awards into many more.

* The fund will make the campaign to repeal the HEA drug provision known to thousands more students around the country who have been harmed by the drug war. (Participation in the advocacy campaign will not be a condition of, nor an advantage in applying for a scholarship, but many students will doubtless want to get involved, some as much-needed spokespersons in the media campaign.)

* The fund will let interested students know how to form Students for Sensible Drug Policy chapters to work on this and other drug war issues.

How to apply for this scholarship:
We still have money to give away for September 2003! Please contact us and apply as soon as possible if you are seeking assistance for the fall semester.

To apply for a Perry Fund scholarship, first fill out our line pre-application form online. Then, download an application (PDF), or contact perryfund@raiseyourvoice.com or (202) 362-0030 if you need a copy by mail or fax. Also, please fill out the FAFSA drug question worksheet http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/q35wksht_34.pdf ()  .

We also recommend (but do not require) that you fill out a FAFSA federal aid application (http://www.fafsa.ed.gov) and send us a copy, and we request that you send us a copy of your SAR student aid report if the Dept. of Education sent you one. We will begin to process your application without these documents, but may have to contact you for additional financial information.

Send your completed application with the drug question worksheet to: The John W. Perry Fund, c/o DRCNet Foundation, 1623 Connecticut Ave., NW, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20009. You may also e-mail the requested information to perryfund@raiseyourvoice.com or fax your application to (202) 362-0032. If you're not sure of the answers to all of the questions on our application, send in what you can now, and add the rest as soon as possible.

What does this law actually say?
Section 484, subsection r of the Higher Education Act of 1998 (HEA) delays or denies federal student financial aid eligibility to applicants with any misdemeanor or felony drug conviction. Applicants with a single possession conviction lose eligibility for one year from conviction date; those with a second possession conviction or one sales conviction lose eligibility for two years; and three possession convictions or two sales convictions cost an applicant eligibility indefinitely.

Students enrolling in an approved drug treatment program can regain eligibility upon completing it. However, the measure neither provides funds for these generally expensive programs, nor distinguishes between mere use and true substance abuse. Would-be students who merely experimented with marijuana, for example, might be unable to find a program willing to accept them; or instead, might take up scarce slots needed by actual addicts seeking help.

How can you help?
You can help by making a generous contribution to the DRCNet Foundation for the John W. Perry Scholarship Fund, by letting would-be students affected by the drug provision know about the fund and helping them apply, and by getting involved in the campaign to repeal the drug provision once and for all.

The John W. Perry Fund is now accepting applications. The fund seeks 100 or more donors of $1,000 or more each, to launch with at least $100,000, but will gratefully accept contributions of any size, large or small. Checks should be made payable to DRCNet Foundation, with "scholarship fund" or "John W. Perry Fund" written in the memo or accompanying letter. The DRCNet Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity, and your contribution will be tax- deductible as provided by law. Our mailing address is: DRCNet, P.O. Box 18402, Washington, DC 20036. Please let us know if we may list your name or organization as a contributor in our publicity materials.

You can also help by joining the campaign to repeal the HEA drug provision and restoring financial aid to all the tens of thousands of students affected by this law every year, or by starting a Students for Sensible Drug Policy chapter to work on HEA and other drug war issues. A bill in Congress to repeal the drug provision, H.R. 685, has 62 cosponsors, and with your help we can make it pass! Visit http://www.RaiseYourVoice.com and http://www.ssdp.org for further information.

About John Perry:
John William Perry was a New York City police officer and a Libertarian Party and ACLU activist who spoke out against the "war on drugs." He was also a lawyer, athlete, actor, linguist and humanitarian. On the morning of September 11, John Perry was at One Police Plaza in lower Manhattan filing retirement papers when the first plane hit the World Trade Center. Without hesitation he went to help, losing his life rescuing others. This scholarship program, which addresses a drug war injustice, is dedicated to his memory. John Perry's academic achievements are also an inspiring example for students: He was fluent in several languages, graduated from NYU Law School and prosecuted NYPD misconduct cases for the department.