The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (TFEC) is pleased to announce the availability of scholarships for high school and post-secondary students who reside in Pennsylvania. Scholarship applicants demonstrate individual excellence in areas such as community service, leadership, sports, music, academics, and other unique characteristics. There are currently more than 120 scholarship funds, either managed or administered by TFEC, that granted over $1.1 million to 415 students for the 2014-2015 academic year. As the university system reels from statewide education cuts and parents face lost savings and declining home values, the opportunity for higher education is slipping away for thousands of prospective students.
“College tuition rates are on the rise and the cost to attend college is becoming increasingly difficult to meet. Higher education isn’t just critical for our children, but it’s also the key to Central PA’s future,” said Susan Mountz, a scholarship donor and volunteer. “This generation of students deserves the same opportunity so many of us have already had… the chance to learn, to explore, and understand what inspires and stimulates them. In the end, the passions and skills they develop through higher education will only serve all of us for years to come.”
TFEC is one of 37 partners with American Education Services (AES)/PHEAA’s Partnerships for Access to Higher Education (PATH) Program. Scholarship recipients are eligible to have their awards matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis by AES/PHEAA’s PATH Program up to a maximum of $2,500 per year. PHEAA may grant matching funds to scholarship recipients who are enrolled in an approved Pennsylvania college or career school, who are a state grant recipient and who demonstrate financial need. The match provides last-dollar support for tuition and fees. The scholarship recipient’s information is submitted to PHEAA by TFEC staff. No additional work will be asked of the scholarship recipient. TFEC received $150,000 in matching funds through the PATH Program for the 2014-2015 academic year. These matching funds further help lower the costs of higher education for students and families in need. For more information regarding AES/PHEAA, please refer to their website at www.pheaa.org.
For more information about scholarship opportunities or to apply, visit www.tfec.org.
