Alex Hivoltze-Jimenez Memorial Scholarship Fund

Alex Hivoltze-Jimenez (May 2, 1974 – May 5, 2008) was an extremely promising scholar and leader who had begun doctoral work at the University of Chicago Divinity School in the field of queer theology.  Two weeks after being awarded a prestigious Ford Foundation fellowship, he tragically and suddenly passed away.

As he came out of the closet in his mid-20s, Alex left corporate life and dedicated himself to the two subjects that were at his core—theology and queer liberation.  Having grown up in a conservative Christian environment, Alex set out on a path of studying religion and theology on the one hand, and queer theory and liberation on the other, with a mission of determining whether and how the two could co-exist.  “Being a queer Christian theologian,” he wrote, “means embracing religious, sexual, class, gender, and racial marginality and contributing from the outside, looking in, looking out afresh, and perhaps in that continual process discovering practices and knowledges for spiritual and bodily freedoms.”    Prior to beginning doctoral work at the University of Chicago , Alex studied at Cambridge University and then moved to Boston , where he earned two master’s degrees in theology at Boston University .

The Alex Hivoltze-Jimenez Memorial Scholarship will be awarded annually and will support doctoral work in queer theology at a school of theology, divinity school, or department of religion.  A small steering committee led by scholars in the field will make determinations about allocations of funds.

All gifts are tax-deductible, as the scholarship fund is a donor-advised fund housed at the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation.  If you work for a corporation, you may be eligible for a corporate match of your contribution.

How to Contribute

To make a contribution of more than $1,000: Please download the following form: http://www.charitablegift.org/docs/Contribution.pdf  You only need to fill in section 1.  Please do it as follows: Giving Account Number: 1020234.  Giving Account Name: Alex Hivoltze-Jimenez Memorial Scholarship Fund.  Check box: Third-Party Contributor, then fill out that section and sign.  Very important: Make check out to Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund and write in the memo AHJ Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Send the form and check to:      AHJ Memorial Scholarship Fund

                                             c/o Marc Solomon

                                             467 Massachusetts Avenue, Apartment 1

                                             Boston , MA 02118

You will receive a receipt directly from Fidelity of your 501(c)(3) contribution which can be used for tax purposes.

Alex’s family will be notified of your generous gift in his memory.

To make a contribution of less than $1,000: Simply make the check out to Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund and write in the memo AHJ Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Return the form and check to:   AHJ Memorial Scholarship Fund

                                            c/o Marc Solomon

                                            467 Massachusetts Avenue, Apartment 1

                                            Boston , MA 02118

For gifts of $250 or more, you will receive a receipt directly from Fidelity of your 501(c)(3) contribution which can be used for tax purposes.

Alex’s family will be notified of your generous gift in his memory.