You can set up your own scholarship program at the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation to help students reach their educational goals. Below are steps you will take as you establish a scholarship fund:

• Name the fund anything you wish. Many of our donors choose to name their funds in honor of family members, former teachers or alma maters.
• The minimum amount required to open a scholarship fund is $25,000. Contribute to your fund with tax-deductible gifts of cash, stock or other assets. Contributions can be made at any time, and others who wish to support your fund can also make tax-deductible contributions.
• Choose how contributions to your fund are invested. Your financial advisor can manage your investments if the assets exceed $100,000, or you can select a custom mix using one or more of the Community Foundation’s investment pools.
• The minimum annual award for each recipient is $1,000.
• Determine the scholarship criteria, including student eligibility, financial need and academic requirements, and the number of scholarships and amounts you will award annually.

The Greater Kansas City Community Foundation will work with you every step of the way as scholarships are awarded.

Services Include:

• Assistance, if needed, determining scholarship criteria, designing the scholarship application, and working with the selection committee as they review applications and select recipients
• Publishing scholarship details (requirements, deadlines, etc.) online. Students submit applications electronically, and selection committee members review applications through an online scholarship portal.
• Verifying the eligibility of recipients before issuing checks.
• Providing instructions to the recipient and school or university involved in activating the scholarship.
• Processing all scholarship payments and award letters, and sending written denials to those who did not receive a scholarship.
• Maintaining records for the fund and a history of recipients.
• 24/7 access to your fund’s activity through our online donor portal.