Florida Prepaid College Foundation, Florida Blue Partners Across State to Deliver $100,000 in College Scholarships
- Launched in June 2021 in partnership with the Florida Chamber Foundation, the Path to Prosperity Scholarship Program aims to break the generational poverty cycle by providing college scholarships to students in Florida’s poorest zip codes.
- The Florida Prepaid College Foundation provides dollar-for-dollar matching funds for all Path to Prosperity contributions from Florida businesses, organizations and private donors.
- The Florida Blue Foundation donations, matched by the Florida Prepaid College Foundation, are providing $100,000 in 2-Year Florida College Path to Prosperity Scholarships to 26 students in Broward, Duval, Hillsborough and Orange counties.
- On a statewide level, donations from 9 organizations, matched by the Florida Prepaid College Foundation, are providing nearly $373,000 in 2-Year Florida College Path to Prosperity Scholarships for 82 students who reside in Broward, Duval, Hillsborough and Orange counties.
TALLAHASSEE, FL. – The Florida Prepaid College Foundation is partnering with the Florida Blue Foundation to award more than $100,000 in 2-Year Florida College Plan Scholarships to 26 students across the state through the Path to Prosperity Scholarship Program. This includes 12 students in Broward County, 9 students in Hillsborough County, 3 in Duval County and 2 in Orange County.
The Path to Prosperity Scholarship Program is a partnership with the Florida Chamber Foundation and participating donors to provide Florida Prepaid College Plan Scholarships to children living in Florida’s most economically disadvantaged areas. Florida Blue donated nearly $50,000 across the four counties, and the Florida Prepaid College Foundation matched the donations dollar-for-dollar.
“We are so grateful for these donations from the Florida Blue Foundation, because they open a path of opportunity for 26 deserving students who could not otherwise ever afford college,” said Florida Prepaid Foundation Director Cynthia O’Connell. “A college education can be the difference between a lifetime of struggle and a lifetime of prosperity, and it is such an honor to partner with Florida Blue to give this gift to students.”
Right now, 829,342 Florida children are living in poverty. Half of these children are concentrated in just 15 percent of Florida’s zip codes – resulting in extremely impoverished communities where children face a much greater likelihood of academic challenges, health risks and other obstacles. The scholarships aim to give high school students in these areas the opportunity for a more prosperous future through postsecondary education.
“As a mission-driven company focused on helping people and communities achieve better health, we believe everyone deserves to have an equal opportunity to achieve their full potential,” said Susan Towler, executive director of the Florida Blue Foundation. “By providing students living in these zip codes access to a quality postsecondary education, we hope to help them pave the way to a healthier future while also helping to strengthen the communities we serve.”
The Broward students live in zip code 33311. The Hillsborough students live in zip codes 33612 and 33613. The Duval students live in zip code 32206. The Orange students live in zip code 32805.
Learn more about the Path to Prosperity Scholarship Program and the Florida Prepaid College Foundation at www.pathtoprosperityscholarship.com.
About the Florida Blue Foundation
Florida Blue Foundation enables healthy communities by making grants, building coalitions and embracing solutions that create a meaningful impact in our communities. More than 8 million Floridians have received services as a result of our community investments since our founding in 2001. The Florida Blue Foundation’s programs are focused on advancing mental well-being, improving health equity, impacting food security and addressing systemic racism and resulting health disparities. Florida Blue Foundation is a trade name of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Foundation, Inc., an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information, please visit FloridaBlueFoundation.com.
As the 501(c)(3), direct support organization for the Florida Prepaid College Board, the Foundation helps support our shared goal of making college more affordable and accessible for more Floridians.
Your donation will be used in furtherance of the tax-exempt charitable purposes of Florida Prepaid College Foundation, Inc. (the “Foundation”). All donations are received and considered unrestricted unless explicitly stated otherwise by the donor. If funds received exceed the specific need or goal of a Foundation program, then, at the discretion of the Foundation, any funds donated may be used for similar scholarship programs operated by the Foundation.
View the Master Contract and Program Description and Participation Agreement for more information.
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