Dr. K. B.(Krish) Deshpande and Vidya K. Deshpande Family Scholarship Fund Grant

Dr. K. B.(Krish) Deshpande and Vidya K. Deshpande Family Scholarship Fund Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee
Last Updated: August 18, 2025

Summary

The Dr. K. B. (Krish) Deshpande and Vidya K. Deshpande Family Scholarship Fund, established by the Deshpande family, honors a legacy of educational commitment. This fund supports juniors, seniors, and graduate students at Fisk University or other Tennessee HBCUs pursuing science degrees. Applicants must demonstrate academic excellence, write an essay on the role of science education, maintain a 3.0 GPA, and engage in community service, ensuring opportunities for marginalized communities.

Overview

About Us For over 30 years, Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT) has been driving meaningful, positive change in our community. We do this by bringing together those who want to help and those who need help. Through the power of collective philanthropy, our goal is to amplify donor intent while remaining flexible enough to ensure that resources are directed to where they can do the greatest good. We know the greater Nashville area. We understand its neighborhoods, its most pressing challenges, its unsung nonprofit heroes, and its emerging partnerships with the greatest potential. As our region continues to rapidly change, that knowledge gives us a unique vantage point to bring people and places together to do what none of us can do on our own—build a more thriving and inclusive community. Mission Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee strives to build a more thriving and inclusive community — today and for generations to come — by transforming thoughtful generosity into positive change. Dr. K. B.(Krish) Deshpande and Vidya K. Deshpande Family Scholarship Fund The family of Dr. K.B. (Krish) and Vidya (Vimal) K. Deshpande established this Scholarship Fund to honor their commitment to education. This includes the promise of academic excellence, scientific inquiry, and evidence-based educational programs to lift up marginalized communities. Krish Deshpande was named a Fulbright Scholar in 1957, which brought him from India to the United States for a post-doctoral fellowship. Soon after, his wife and children joined him. Following his first few years in US academia, he was recruited by physicist and future Fisk University President James Lawson to become a Professor of Chemistry. Dr. Deshpande spent a career of scholarship and leadership mainly at Fisk from 1965 until his retirement in 2002. Vimal was a compassionate matriarch of the Deshpande family in America and in Nashville’s growing Indian community. She was a dedicated educator, teaching college students in India and the USA and served as a librarian at Fisk. She was an active volunteer in the community, supporting programs to help those living in poverty to transform their lives through education.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. The scholarship will benefit juniors, seniors, graduate students or PhD candidates enrolled at Fisk University or another Tennessee HBCU who are seeking a science degree and are committed to a career in their chosen profession. Applicants must complete an essay on “The Role of Science Education in Today’s Society”, have a 3.0 GPA or better, qualify for financial aid and describe their extracurricular and community service activities.