Central Carolina Community Foundation Proudly Awards Student Scholarships

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Central Carolina Community Foundation, the Midlands leader in collaborative philanthropy, has awarded $620,000 to 195 students from across the state and country for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Since 1998, the Foundation has managed and awarded 46 scholarship funds to deserving students. With the intention of keeping talent local, 72 percent of the 2023 recipients will attend a school in South Carolina. This year’s awardee demographic makeup were 70 percent women, 23 percent first-generation college students and over 40 percent minority.

Around 1 million students drop out of school during freshmen year each year, with 70 percent due to lack of financial resources. Scholarships make higher education attainable and sustainable by alleviating debt, stress and time-consuming jobs.

“I am attempting to put myself through college as much as I can, and this not only aids me financially but is a wonderful reminder of how others are supporting me in my endeavors,” said Katherine McDonald, a Sonoco Scholarship recipient attending Appalachian State University.

The Community Foundation is working with donors to increase scholarship amounts and make a larger percentage renewable.

Each scholarship fund has its own specific purpose and eligibility criteria, e.g., the Sonoco Scholarship was designed for Sonoco employees’ children. Over the past eight years, this program has awarded over $500,000.

“Central Carolina Community Foundation is proud to invest in our community’s future by administering scholarships and making college a reality,” said Central Carolina Community Foundation Program Officer Halie Brazier. ”We are honored to connect the charitable passions of our fundholders with the students of today who have such strong potential, both for themselves and for our community.”

For the full list of 2023-2024 recipient names and scholarship funds, please visit the Central Carolina Community Foundation website.

High school seniors can complete one online application to see if they qualify for more than 200 scholarship opportunities administered by Central Carolina Community Foundation. Scholarship applications open on January 1, 2024, and close on March 5, 2024.

About Central Carolina Community Foundation

Central Carolina Community Foundation, the Midlands’ leader in collaborative philanthropy, is a nonprofit organization serving 11 counties in the Midlands of South Carolina by distributing grants and scholarships and linking the resources of donors, nonprofits and area leaders to communities in need. Major initiatives include the online giving challenge Midlands Gives, Connected Communities grants, the One SC Fund and annual scholarships. For more information about the Foundation, visit www.yourfoundation.org or call (803) 254-5601.