GMFF Annual Letter

2022 by the Numbers

GMFF Scholars

$14K total average 4-year value of our recurring Last Dollar Scholarship ($3500/yr)

81 college grads, 47% in STEM, 13% in arts and education

75% $1.7MM total giving since 2015 $265K in scholarships, $75K in grants in 2022

student contribution to tuition from savings, merit scholarships, grants and work

.98% annual operating expenses as a % of assets 100% of donations go directly to student scholarships

Partner Spotlight

In our annual letters, I often write about the work our partners do for students — crediting them with the ‘hard lifting’ of supporting, mentoring and educating young people in their communities. Imagine helping hundreds of teens and young adults with limited resources navigate high school and college courses, college testing, college admissions, financial aid and — you know — “adulting.” Every. Day. If you are, or have been, the parent or guardian of someone in this phase of life, you likely experienced a mild panic attack. Our partners go to work every day with this challenge in front of them knowing that change happens one individual at a time. That’s tenacity, passion and dedication. What drives them is no secret… when children born into the lowest income distribution get a college degree it quadruples their chances of making into the top income distribution but… just 11% of 1st generation, low income students persist through college because they don’t have the kind of support system they need to make it through.

In 2022 we continued to grow our scholarship program and also extended our giving to buoy the support system on which GMFF scholars depend. Enter the GMFF Grant program. By invitation only, GMFF partners applied for a $25,000 grant via our new online application. Three partners received awards: Appalachian ACCESS, NC State TRIO and Carolina Youth Coalition.

ACCESS

The Appalachian ACCESS Program. The ACCESS team, led by Director Beth Marsh, serves 150-200 students/year. Services include orientation, long-term academic advising, academic support courses, mentors, tutoring, personal support and career development. Eligibility is for full-time, firstyear students from families at or below the Federal Poverty Level. “Coming from lowincome households, the odds may seem to be against this group – but in true Mountaineer Spirit, they are not defined by their level of need. While the national graduation average for students of this type is 11%, most recently, ACCESS students have a graduation rate of 84%. ”Not only are ACCESS students beating the graduation odds, they are doing it with outstanding academic success: 45-50% of ACCESS students earn the Dean’s List or Chancellor’s List every semester. And, more than two-thirds of ACCESS students have a 3.0 gpa or higher. The ACCESS program used the GMFF grant to provide study abroad scholarships, laptops, expand mentorship availability, provide mental health support, and create community building activities (aimed at addressing the imposter syndrome many first generation students experience). Background about the ASU ACCESS program can be found at universitycollege.appstate.edu/access.

Hear directly from Beth Marsh and ACCESS Scholars about how the program and scholarship has impacted their eduction at our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/2r8ocpv5VXQ

“To know that there are people behind you, investing in you, makes me more determined to finish and make a difference.”

Jessica Albright,'16, an Appalachian State University graduate, ACCESS Scholar and GMFF Scholar

Beth Marsh Director, ACCESS Scholarship Program, Appalachian State University

NCSU TRIO

The North Carolina State University TRIO Collegiate Program. Led by Director Courtney Simpson, TRIO collegiate programs was GMFF’s first partner. Since 2015, we’ve awarded NC State TRIO high school and college students $841,500 in scholarships. The 7 person team at TRIO, Led by Courtney Simpson, Senior Director of Collegiate Programs, “strives to encourage educational opportunities for undergraduate students by providing academic and personal support to enhance academic skills, increase retention and graduation rates, and facilitate entrance into graduate and professional programs for 285 students. Ninety-one percent (91%) of Student Support Services and Student Support Services STEM program participants will graduate from the university in six years or less.”

With GMFF grant dollars, the NC State TRIO program created a peer-to-peer group of TRIO high school and college students for a travel abroad experience this summer. The new experience includes funding for travel, geo-political and cultural education and international travel preparation. TRIO cited a study from the University of Georgia to support the need for this program: “A study conducted by the University of Georgia system (GLOSSARI Project) proved significant positive academic outcomes of study abroad, including improved academic performance, graduation rates, and knowledge of cultural practices… While our TRIO programs encourage students to apply for highimpact practices, such as study abroad and funding opportunities to do so, many students are not applying for these experiences due to lack of knowledge in traveling abroad and lack of confidence in being able to do so. Further, literature points to a positive increase in self-esteem, self-efficacy, and self-identity for study abroad students.” Learn more about the NC State College and pre-College TRIO program at trio.dasa.ncsu.edu.

2018 NC State TRIO graduates with Senior Director, Courtney Simpson (third

Carolina Youth Coalition

The Carolina Youth Coalition (CYC) in Charlotte, North Carolina. In 2018, Aaron Randolph and Katherine Kissam founded CYC using a generous donation from the Albemarle Foundation with the goal to “nurture and propel high-achieving, underresourced students to and through college.” To date, CYC has encouraged, mentored and tutored 428 high school and college students. Just last year, they provided nearly 1,500 hours of tutoring and mentoring (30% of which is pro-bono from members of the Charlotte professional community). And, it’s paying off - CYC boast a 99% college placement rate for their seniors, 67% of whom are attending college debt-free! CYC are using the GMFF grant to support their college persistence program which includes: (1) College transition support for rising college freshmen, (2) regular 1:1 check-ins with students once college begins, (3) support in identifying and applying for internships, job and research opportunities, (4) in-person professional development support including resume writing, interviewing skills and curating a professional social media presence. Find out more at carolinayouth.org.

Todd and Laura Meissner with 2022 GMFF Scholars from CYC and CYC CoFounder, Kathryn Kissam

We thank all of these partners for the tireless work they do to help student attend college, graduate and pursue their career aspirations. And to all of you… we are appreciative of your support and the important role you’ve played in the lives of Goodwin Meissner Scholars. Whether through your cheerleading, donations, or both, you helped them obtain their degrees and ultimately launch their careers.

Best Regards,

The Goodwin Meissner Family Foundation

Scholarship Information Session at GenOne February 2023, Charlotte, NC