Funding Opportunities

Fall 2021 classes depicted: Ceramics, Physics and Sustainability, Invertebrate Zoology
Student scholarships and financial aid

Named scholarships are designed to offer donors the opportunity to provide support to deserving students with or without establishing an endowed fund. Donors wishing to establish a named annual scholarship must pledge annual gifts of $5,000 or more for at least a four-year period. During that time, funds will go directly to supporting a student with demonstrated financial need.  A gift of $100,000 or more establishes a permanent—or endowed—scholarship.

The Advancement team will work with the donor to execute an agreement, designed with or without student qualification criteria (stipulations, demographics, academic standing, academic programs, etc.).

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The COA Language and Cultural Immersion Program

Every winter, a group of COA students journeys to México for a term-long immersion, led by Program Director Karla Peña and the staff of her organization, PICY (Programas de Inmersión Cultural en Yucatán). While in Yucatán, students spend two months taking language and cultural immersion classes in the city of Mérida, and then develop their own independent, interdisciplinary research projects on the culture of the peninsula. For more details on the program and funding opportunities related to this program, please download the PDF here.

 

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Endowment

The COA endowment provides critical support that enhances the quality and accessibility of a COA education. Comprised of dozens of funds established by generous supporters, our endowment is a permanent source of income which supports financial aid and scholarships, faculty chairs, the academic program, and COA’s facilities and grounds.

COA’s endowment has grown steadily since its inception. Twenty-five years ago, the endowment totaled just under $3 million. At the end of fiscal year 2022, our endowment investments totaled $69.7 million, providing substantial support for the college’s operational budget. Investments have generally outperformed the market and have been recovering substantially. These assets are the direct result of the generosity of our supporters, and enable the college to thrive during challenging times.

To learn more about COA’s endowed accounts, please see our latest Philanthropy Report. To inquire about making a gift to the endowment, please contact the Dean of Institutional Advancement at 207-801-5620.

Thorndike Library