Hundreds of college-bound students from Worcester County are entering the school year with extra financial support, thanks to scholarships awarded by Greater Worcester Community Foundation.
This year, the Foundation has awarded a total of 228 new scholarships, including 147 one-time awards averaging $1,200 each and 81 renewable scholarships averaging $8,000 over a four-year college program. Additionally, 200 previously awarded scholarships have been renewed, for a total of $742,450 being distributed this year and $894,250 conditionally committed for future years.
We are pleased to see more and more of our scholarship fundholders creating renewable scholarships. This recognizes the importance of financial security throughout one’s college journey. In total, we’re proud to have over $1.6 million committed for scholarship recipients over the next four years.
- Pete Dunn, President & CEO, Greater Worcester Community Foundation
One of the Foundation’s new scholarships this year, established by the Trust of Mary T. Cocaine, matriarch of Table Talk Pies, is helping descendants of immigrants and refugees in the greater Worcester area attend college debt-free. This year, five students will receive renewable scholarships from the Mary T. Cocaine Scholarship Fund, while a sixth student will receive a one-time award for technology and books, fully covering her remaining financial needs. Most of these recipients are the first in their families to attend college.
Financial support for Worcester County students not only nurtures local talent but also helps our community reap the benefits of their academic achievements. The Foundation is pleased to report that of the 228 new awardees this year, over half (121) have chosen to remain in Massachusetts for their studies, with 46 attending institutions within Worcester County. The top schools include UMass Amherst, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester State University, Boston College, Northeastern University, and UMass Lowell.
Since the inception of Greater Worcester Community Foundation’s scholarship program more than 45 years ago, the Foundation has been empowering local students by supporting their postsecondary education. The scholarship program is made possible by the generosity of 142 scholarship fundholders who believe in the transformative power of education, and by the dedication of more than 70 volunteers who review applications and make award recommendations.
For more information about Greater Worcester Community Foundation and its scholarship program, please visit https://greaterworcester.org/for-students/scholarships-overview or view the attached 2024 By the Numbers graphic. Our 2024 Scholarship Yearbook, featuring our 428 scholarship recipients, will be published later this fall.
