Making an Impact Through Scholarship Funds
Each year, the Community Foundation works to fulfill the wishes of many individuals and families who have established scholarship funds to benefit local students and help them continue their educational journey.
The Community Foundation oversees more than 80 active scholarship funds that have awarded more than $4.6 million in scholarships to thousands of students since the program’s inception. Award criteria for each scholarship are set by the donor, with some stipulating that student
recipients focus on a particular academic program or attend a specific school. On the other hand, some donors choose to cast a wider net and provide awards to deserving students pursuing their studies at any college, university, or trade school. Fields of study range from accounting to aviation to veterinary sciences—and everything in between.
Creating a scholarship fund not only enriches the lives of students, but their families, their futures, and overall—our community. The Community Foundation is a trusted local resource for the oversight, compliance, and administration of charitable funds that award scholarships to individuals.
In loving memory of their beloved daughter, the Moylan family established the Alivia Paige Moylan Memorial Scholarship Fund in 2020 to honor her legacy and spirit. Tragically taken too soon, Alivia touched the lives of everyone she met with her kindness, compassion, and
determination. The scholarship supports Whitesboro High School students who plan to pursue an education in healthcare, including veterinary healthcare which Alivia dreamed of studying.
“The Community Foundation is a one-stop resource to educate fundholders on setting up, managing, and giving back through various types of funds,” said Virginia Moylan, Alivia’s mother. “Our family has had a wonderful experience working with the team at the Community Foundation. They have really helped us to understand the process of how to make our fund last well into the future.”’
Fulfilling the process of awarding a scholarship from start to finish is no easy task, but the Community Foundation is skilled at coordinating and delivering all aspects each academic year.
“The process begins in January where we work to identify scholarship amounts and determine which schools to reach out to,” said Allison Campbell, Community Foundation fund administration coordinator. “Area high schools and colleges are contacted in February so they can begin to spread the word to students about available scholarship opportunities. Beginning in March and through the summer months, we are in constant contact with local schools and guidance counselors to identify candidates that meet the criteria for each award. We also collect necessary documentation from students and make sure that the awards are directed to their school of choice.”
Donors wishing to set up a scholarship fund will work with the Community Foundation team to determine a name and investment strategy of their choosing and will receive an immediate tax deduction for gifts they make to the fund. Donors can choose to endow their scholarship fund,
which means it would exist in perpetuity, or establish an expendable scholarship fund, which allows awards to be made over a set duration of time.
For families, schools, or organizations currently self-managing an existing scholarship fund or program, the Community Foundation offers a seamless transition process for your scholarship awards.
For more details on scholarship funds, visit foundationhoc.org/createafund, or contact Nick Grimmer, chief development officer, ngrimmer@foundationhoc.org.