For many students, limited financial resources make earning a college degree challenging. The need for scholarships has grown exponentially in the past decade.
State support for the cost of higher education has significantly fallen while the cost of tuition has risen. Students who borrow money are often left with burdensome debt.
Gifts to support scholarships make the UMKC experience available to students from all backgrounds. The generosity of our donors reduces students’ financial obligations and allows them to focus on their studies.
Currently, the UMKC Foundation manages 646 different endowed scholarships, totaling more than $3.5 million in funding. Your contributions will help more prospective students gain the knowledge, skills and experience they need to tackle tough problems and solve them.
Support scholarships in general or designate a gift to match your interests in one of two ways:
Immediate-use Scholarships
Most scholarship giving supports funds that allow the UMKC Foundation the flexibility to direct dollars to where it will have the greatest impact. These gifts are immediately distributed to UMKC students over a specified timeframe.
Endowed/Named Scholarships
With a gift of $25,000 or more, you can create your own legacy by endowing a scholarship. The most permanent of gifts, an endowed fund keeps giving back. Its principal is invested in the Foundation’s endowment, while the fund generates a reliable income stream supporting one or more students each year.
Some endowed scholarships can be named after the donor, a family or someone you want to honor in the most lasting way—such as a UMKC professor who influenced your life.
Endowed scholarships are also a meaningful way to direct your philanthropy. Perhaps you want to support students at a specific school or college, those pursuing a particular area of study, or those from a similar background. You can focus your endowed scholarship on what you care about most.
