Community Foundation of Sarasota County Awards More Than $1.7 Million in Scholarships

Funding supports students and adults pursuing postsecondary education

SARASOTA, FL – The Community Foundation of Sarasota County has awarded more than $1.7 million in scholarships to people in Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties pursuing higher education through enrollment in colleges, universities, or technical and career training programs.

Awards this year include nearly $790,000 to students under the age of 24 who are enrolling in post-secondary education immediately following high school; $213,000 to adults older than 24 who are going back to school, and an additional $738,000 awarded for renewable scholarships in both age groups to support ongoing pursuits of a degree or program.

Funding strategies aligned with the State of Scholarships Regional Assessment, a study published in 2022 that was commissioned by the Community Foundation in collaboration with the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation. Key objectives of the report include identifying the best use of scholarship resources to reduce inequities and supporting students in the completion of their post-secondary programs.

“We use the scholarship study as a guiding light to shape our awards and funding priorities,” said Kirsten Russell, vice president of Community Impact at the Community Foundation. “With that in mind, our goal is opening opportunities for students who are typically overlooked for financial support, or those who might not have benefited from support systems that help ensure a path to postsecondary success.”

With the goal of connecting students of limited means to their postsecondary plans, this year’s average scholarship award increased by 34 percent, from $2,615 to $3,494 for students pursuing a college degree.

The overlooked middle

A major finding of the scholarship study is that underfunded students tend to occupy middle ranges in two major areas of scholarship consideration: need and merit.

Postsecondary enrollment in the four-county service area of the community foundation is lower than the state and national averages, with DeSoto County’s postsecondary enrollment at 13 percent, about one-third that of the state. To address the concern of limited aid access to average students, the Community Foundation’s application requested a holistic view of applicants, allowing adjudicators knowledge of factors outside of the classroom that might have contributed to an applicant's final grades. This whole-picture approach considers responsibilities students may have had to take on, like caretaking for siblings or elder family members living in the home or working to help cover family expenses.

“These demands on students’ time can preclude involvement in extracurriculars and the wherewithal to participate in earnest in an increasingly competitive and high-stakes academic landscape,” Russell said.

While 12.5 percent of families in the region live below the federal poverty line, nearly three times that many are working and paying bills, but earn low wages and have limited assets, factors that make it hard just to stay afloat. Lower income families may qualify for federal aid based on need, but many families in the region don’t qualify for financial assistance yet cannot afford the long-term investment of college. Loans can fill the gap but make debt an inevitable consequence of achieving higher education.

‘Make it to the finish line’

The study also reported that across the State of Florida, only half of all students entering higher education will graduate. The single-most cited reason for noncompletion is financial insecurity.

This key finding provided the rationale for a heavy emphasis on renewable funding, Russell said, with the opportunity to receive funding each year of college. Renewable awards are up this year, from 23 percent in 2023-24 to 32 percent for the 2024-2025 school year ahead. The opportunity to renew scholarship dollars provides students with security throughout their college experience and helps families create a workable plan for managing contributions.

“We know that postsecondary education is often connected to better job opportunities and an enhanced quality of life, but these benefits are exclusive to those who are able to complete school and earn degrees and credentials,” said Roxie Jerde, president and CEO of the Community Foundation. “For their own prospects and the betterment of the communities where they live as adults, it is imperative that they make it to the finish line.”

New Scholarship Cycle Opens August 15 for Adults Age 24 and Older

While the majority of scholarships are awarded in the first half of the year, the Community Foundation offers additional scholarship opportunities throughout the year. The next scholarship cycle for adults 24 years and older opens Aug. 15.

“The bottom line is education is the key to empowerment and innovation, and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County is a proud supporter of these individual pathways that together will create stronger communities, impact will be felt for generations to come,” Jerde said.

For nearly 45 years, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County has been key to unlocking possibilities for everyone who calls our area home. With the trust of the community, the Community Foundation has awarded more than in grants and scholarships. To learn more about available scholarship opportunities, visit https://www.cfsarasota.org/students/scholarship-opportunities.

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About the Community Foundation of Sarasota County: The Community Foundation of Sarasota County is a public charity founded in 1979 by the Southwest Florida Estate Planning Council as a resource for caring individuals and the causes they support, enabling them to make a charitable impact on the community. With assets of $489 million in more than 1,580 charitable funds, the Community Foundation awarded grants and scholarships totaling $40 million dollars last year in the areas of education, the arts, health and human services, civic engagement, animal welfare and the environment. Since its founding, the Community Foundation has been able to grant more than $435.8 million to area nonprofit organizations in our community thanks to the generosity of charitable individuals, families, and businesses. For more information, visit www.CFSarasota.org or call (941) 955-3000.