Fund for Wisconsin Scholars Establishes $175 Million Scholarship Endowment

Fund for Wisconsin Scholars Establishes $175 Million Endowment for Scholarships

The Fund for Wisconsin Scholars has announced a $175 million gift from John P. and Tashia F. Morgridge.

The gift will create a permanent endowment to provide grants for talented, lower-income graduates of Wisconsin public schools attending a public postsecondary school in the state. FFWS will award nearly two thousand grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 in the 2008-09 school year and more than three thousand annually thereafter to eligible students. The grants, awarded through the University of Wisconsin system, two- and four-year colleges, and the Wisconsin Technical College system, will be in addition to the state and federal grants that many students receive.

The Morgridges decided to create the endowment after studying the education initiatives of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wisconsin governor Jim Doyle's Wisconsin Covenant program, and other scholarship and grant programs. FFWS will complement the Wisconsin Covenant, which promises a spot at a state college or university to students who maintain good grades and stay out of trouble.

The Morgridges hope the gift will stimulate other funding. "This is just the start," said John Morgridge, former chair of Cisco Systems. "We believe that the fund will grow substantially as others are inspired to join us in this effort.

“Fund for Wisconsin Scholars Will Invest $175 Million in Wisconsin's Students.” Fund for Wisconsin Scholars Press Release 12/18/07.

Primary Subject: Education

Location(s): Madison, Wisconsin

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