Billy Bean Scholarship

Back to Social Justice »

Billy Bean Scholarship

The Tampa Bay Rays, in partnership with the Hillsborough and Pinellas County Education Foundations, are proud to establish the Billy Bean Scholarship. In memory of Billy Bean, the second MLB player to come out as gay, this scholarship aims to recognize and support outstanding Hillsborough and Pinellas County seniors who identify as LGBTQ+ or are strong allies who advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. Candidates must demonstrate exceptional leadership skills within their school and home communities.

Billy Bean Scholarship
About Billy Bean

Billy Bean was selected in the fourth round by the Detroit Tigers in 1986 and played six seasons in the MLB before he retired in 1995. During an interview with the Miami Herald in 1999, he opened up about his sexual orientation and became the second ball player to come out as gay.

In 2014, he returned to baseball as a special adviser to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and served as MLB's senior vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion for ten years until passing away after a yearlong fight with acute myeloid leukemia in 2024.

In his role, Bean worked with MLB teams to advance equality throughout baseball to ensure an equitable, inclusive, and supportive space for everyone. He was instrumental in the development of MLB's bullying prevention education programming and the game's support of Spirit Day, MLB's 'Ahead in the Count' education program and elevating the visibility of MLB's mental wellness resources.

Scholarship Details

The Tampa Bay Rays will award this sponsorship to two high school seniors, one from Pinellas County and one from Hillsborough County. Any student who identifies as LGBTQ+ or as an LGBTQ+ ally is encouraged to apply regardless of what field they want to pursue. The scholarship will be a one-time scholarship reward for the recipients.

Scholarship Amount: Each recipient will receive $5,000.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the Billy Bean Scholarship, applicants must:

  1. Be high school seniors in Hillsborough or Pinellas County.
  2. Have an average GPA of 3.0 or higher.
  3. Have demonstrated outstanding leadership in fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within their school and/or home communities.
  4. Identify as LGBTQ+ or be strong allies and advocates of the LGBTQ+ community.

Students applying for the Billy Bean Scholarship in Pinellas County can click here and students in Hillsborough County can click here.

If there are any questions please reach out to us at socialjustice@raysbaseball.com.