This time of year, there are a lot of numbers floating around in my brain. I’m working on the payouts for our scholarship funds, ensuring my math is correct with a student’s award and collecting additional donations from existing donors. Over the past month I’ve spent more time than I care to admit with multiple spreadsheets and a calculator for someone who isn’t an accountant.
But this year, a few numbers really stick out to me and I want to take a moment to share with you why….
30 - 2025 marks the 30th year that the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee has been awarding scholarship funds. We started 30 years ago with four individual $1,000 awards from the William and Clara Bryan Scholarship Fund. The amazing thing is, 30 years later that fund is now awarding over $5,000 annually to its recipients. But now, in 2025, it awards funding alongside over 160 other scholarship funds through the CFMT.
$2,500 - According to the NCAN (National College Attainment Network), the average unmet need for a student going to college is $2,500. This year - our average award per student hit right at $2,500. We are working hard to make sure that moving forward each student receives at least $2,500, so thank you for your patience as we continue to do that work with our donors moving forward.
$1 million - For the first time in our 30 year history, we awarded over $1 million dollars in scholarship funding to students across Middle Tennessee. What I love the most about this is the fact that the $1 million dollars represents many donors who saved up their entire lives to be able to provide a scholarship. Many of them are in memory of loved ones, to benefit a specific field of study or student demographic like first generation and we even have many funds simply set up to benefit students from a particular geographic area of Middle Tennessee. Most of these funds were not started with a million dollars, but instead built by fundraising year after year to make a donor’s scholarship fund dreams come true. It is a true honor to be able to distribute and award this money on behalf of our donors, many who are neighbors in your own communities.
Last but not least - 390
This year we had 390 recipients. Many would expect me to look at that number and celebrate the vast group it represents. However, I also see the many students who applied who were not selected. I keep those students in my mind as well throughout the year. They motivate the work I do in building relationships with donors and helping them identify groups for their scholarship funding to serve. Please always know that we not only have our annual recipients in mind but also those that weren’t selected. They motivate our work each year so that we can inform donors on who we still need to serve in Middle Tennessee.
Kelly Pietkiewicz
Scholarships Senior Manager
