An anonymous donor has posed a challenge to a scholarship program for local high-school students: Raise $2 million, and receive $1 million more.
Officials from the program are rising to the occasion. As the grant was announced at the Philadelphia Education Fund's second annual awards night last month, "there was a great deal of excitement . but a belief that we would raise the funds to reach the challenge," Philadelphia Scholars Director Carole Boughter said.
The Philadelphia Scholars Program provides renewable scholarships to graduates of 15 neighborhood public high schools, including a number of students who now go to Penn.
"We're certainly going to pursue a very active and focused effort in seeking support from individuals . and seek support from the broadest possible group of Scholars donors that we can both locate and sustain," Boughter said.
Funding has usually come from foundations, corporations and individuals, she said. Last year, this amounted to just over $700,000, but donations have been increasing.
Over the last 10 years, 14 one-year scholarships were awarded to students attending Penn, Philadelphia Scholars Coordinator Angela Smith wrote in an e-mail. The scholarship amounts range from $200 to $4,000.
Students must be enrolled in PEF's College Access program to be eligible for the scholarships. They are intended to make up the difference between need and financial aid.
Candace Powell-Kinard, a College Access associate director, said this grant will hopefully draw more attention to the issue of college access, adding that "the donations and the generosity are really key to making this work."
About 1,600 students have received a total of more than $6.2 million since 1990 from Philadelphia Scholars. Over the last academic year, the program awarded $800,000, Boughter said.
And she said her program is ready to achieve the $2 million fundraising challenge.
As for the mysterious donor's decision to be unnamed, Boughter laughed, saying, "we certainly respect that individual's desire to remain anonymous, and we were more thrilled with the opportunity and the invitation to raise the $2 million."
If efforts are successful, the additional funds would raise the program's endowment to over $20 million. The program aims to award $1.2 million annually by the end of the challenge, Boughter said.
It is impossible to estimate how many students would benefit from the funds because the size of individual scholarships vary so much, she said.
Already, College Access students are becoming excited about the challenge grant, Powell-Kinard said.
Today, "it's harder to say to a student, 'Don't worry about the money,'" said Powell-Kinard, who has worked in the field for more than 20 years.
Boughton added that "even an endowment of $20 million - that only begins to meet the need."
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