The Coca-Cola Foundation Grants $250,000 to Continue Support for First Generation Scholars

Feb 12, 2013 | Blog

 

The Coca-Cola Foundation Grants $250,000 to Continue Support for First Generation Scholars

February 12, 2013

The Coca-Cola Foundation is continuing its support of first-generation Native American scholars through a donation of $250,000 to the American Indian College Fund. The Coca-Cola Foundation First Generation Tribal Scholarship Program will continue to increase access to higher education and leadership development opportunities for tribal college students that are the first in their families to attend college. At least one scholar at each of the 34 tribal colleges is selected to be a Coca-Cola scholar.

In addition to receiving scholarship awards up to $5,000, program participants attend a fully funded week-long leadership development program called the American Indian Student Summer Leadership Training and participate in a reception recognizing their achievements in the spring. These programs are geared to encourage scholarship recipients, who often face more difficult challenges than other college students due to poverty, to stay in school.

Scholarship awards are renewable if awardees maintain a 3.0 grade point average, meet their tribal college’s eligibility requirements for full-time status, and show involvement in leadership and campus life.

“The Coca-Cola Foundation is leading the nation’s business community by providing scholarship opportunities to outstanding first-generation Native students,” said Dr. Cheryl Crazy Bull, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund. “The Coca-Cola Foundation First Generation Tribal Scholarship Program is creating opportunities for American Indians who might otherwise be unable to attend college and is providing hope to American Indians and positively impacting Indian Country.”

“The American Indian College Fund significantly impacts the academic aspirations and achievements of Native students,” said Lori George Billingsley, Vice President, Community Relations, Coca-Cola Refreshments. “By supporting students who are the first in their families to attend college, Coca-Cola plays a part in the transformative influence of education.”


About The Coca-Cola Foundation

Since its inception, The Coca-Cola Foundation has awarded more than $500 million to support global sustainable community initiatives, including water stewardship, community recycling, active healthy living, and education. For more information about The Coca-Cola Foundation, please go to http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/the-coca-cola-foundation.

Recent Blog Posts

American Indian College Fund Launches Virtual Learning Series to Tribal College Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Students

American Indian College Fund Launches Virtual Learning Series to Tribal College Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Students

Two of the American Indian College Fund’s (College Fund) programs are collaborating to launch a new virtual learning series for early childhood educators as well as elementary and secondary educators in Indigenous communities.

American Indian College Fund Celebrates National Transfer Student Week 

To create awareness about how to successfully transfer to a college or university, with opportunities to hear from other Native students who have navigated the process, the American Indian College Fund will host two webinars: Transfer 101 and a Transfer Student Experience panel. Participants will also have access to a transfer process toolbox online. The College Fund is also creating awareness of transfer activities at TCUs by providing $2000 to institutions to assist transfer students by hosting on-campus events, augmenting transfer student resources, or compensating potential transfer student site visits.