Gulf Coast Community Foundation recently awarded 527 scholarships—$601,167 in total—to 294 local students for higher education in the 2020-21 academic year. The awards come from nearly 60 different scholarship funds administered by Gulf Coast. Recipients range from graduating high school seniors through adults returning to school to earn a degree or certificate.

More than $222,000 was awarded from the Gulf Coast Community Foundation Scholarship Fund, an endowment earmarked by the foundation’s board in 1997 to help local students pursue meaningful higher education. The balance of the awards came from dozens of scholarship funds established by individual donors, organizations, and businesses to invest in the education of promising students in their community. Gulf Coast has awarded close to $9 million in scholarships since the creation of its scholarship program.