CFMT Scholarship Donor Newsletter

Welcome to the 1st Edition of Scholarship Donor Newsletter, our new 2x per year information resource to keep you up to date on all things happening with your scholarship fund and the Community Foundation’s ever-growing scholarship program. In this issue, we share details of our scholarship reception,  a video of a connection between a donor and recipient, a scholarship timeline, and introduce you to an educational partner.

As we approach the launch date for this year's scholarship application, I wanted to offer you the opportunity to meet 1:1 with me.  I have been lucky enough to pick up where Pat Cole left off the over the last two years, and have had a chance to speak with many students, parents, and scholarship donors in that time. This new window of opportunity to schedule a time to talk with me will provide you an opportunity to see how we publicize your fund, review reports on the fund, and ask any scholarship-related questions. Click the link below to schedule a phone call, zoom, or in-person meeting with me over the next few weeks prior to the application opening.

I look forward to connecting with you.

-Kelly P.

CFMT Reveals 2023 Scholarship Recipients

On Saturday, July 22 the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee held its first-ever scholarship reception event for students who received funding from one of the 160 scholarship funds managed by the CFMT.

As part of the event, the Community Resource Center raffled off laundry baskets full of cleaning supplies and personal hygiene items for students to take to college with them. CFMT is thankful for this partnership that helps relieve some of the added financial stress of paying for everyday necessities college can bring.

Friends Life Community Treat Truck, Daddy’s Dogs Catering LLC, and Music City BBQ brought their food trucks to the event providing a meal for our recipients & their family members. The Foundation loved having local community staples cater for the event.

Students connected with each other, sharing the anticipation of school starting soon, and they also connected with the fundholders of their respective scholarships, making for a joyful atmosphere.

“It was amazing, it was so much love, hope, and aspiration,” says CFMT Board Member and Scholarship Fundholder, Gail Williams of the event. “My heart is still soaring!”

Next year's scholarship reception will happen in July, and we hope that even more donors will attend to meet their recipients! 

Scholarship Recipient Candace Brown Meets Her Donor, Gail Williams: A Heartwarming Encounter

We were so lucky to be able to sit down with Gail Williams, Scholarship Donor, and Candace Brown, Scholarship Recipient, to hear about their experience attending the inaugural CFMT Scholarship Celebration. Candace is the recipient of The David Williams II Scholarship for Equality and Equity Scholarship. Please take a few minutes to listen to their inspiring conversation.

Community Partner Feature

Did you know that only 27% of students who graduate from MNPS schools are currently earning a college degree (2yr, 4yr or Tech). Nashville will become a minority-majority city by 2040, but only 20% of Black and Latino MNPS students are currently graduating from college. We are poised to have significant workforce development challenges if this statistic doesn't improve.

Persist is Nashville's largest college persistence organization, helping Nashville graduates earn a college degree. Since 2019, Persist Nashville has served 3,700 graduates of MNPS schools and helped them enroll and persist (stay) in college. If you are interested in learning more on how to support or volunteer with Persist, please email Scott Campbell at scott@persistnashville.org   Persist Annual Report - 2022  

For any questions regarding scholarships, reach out to Scholarship Coordinator, Kelly Pietkiewicz at kellyp@cfmt.org.