The Invest in the Best Scholarship Challenge resulted in a historic $100 million in endowed funding for undergraduate scholarships for students with low and limited income. Thanks to the $50 million dollar-for-dollar match provided by the Georgia Tech Foundation, 147 donors were able to double their impact, providing permanent funding in perpetuity for scholarships. 

Through the challenge, 104 newly endowed scholarships were created, and donors increased their support for 47 existing endowed scholarships. The average gift size was $333,000, and 54 donors established endowed scholarships for the first time. 

Through Invest in the Best, the Kent Richard Hofmann Foundation provided transformative scholarship support for architecture students, doubling the family foundation’s seven-figure gift through the challenge. As a result, Georgia Tech now has the opportunity to award more than a dozen new scholarships annually to architecture students with financial need. 

Julian Saul, IM 1962, and his wife, Anita, also participated. Saul said, “We appreciate the Georgia Tech Foundation’s commitment to supporting qualified students who otherwise could not afford a college education without financial aid.” He added, “This is the second need-based scholarship that we have established; our first scholarship has supported students who have overcome extraordinary circumstances to attend and graduate from Georgia Tech. I’ve seen what these scholarships can do for impressive Tech students.” 

Mary Gordon, EE 1981, is guided by the principle that no student should be limited due to a lack of financial means. For Gordon, Invest in the Best provided the perfect opportunity to further her support for students through the scholarship she had previously established in honor of her parents, Avon and Estelle Gordon. “It was extremely important to me to support students while honoring my parents’ legacy of using your talents and giving to others no matter how challenging the circumstances,” said Gordon. “Invest in the Best has multiplied that impact.” 

These scholarships will forever change the trajectories and the lives of Georgia Tech students, their families, and their communities. 

At the heart of Transforming Tomorrow: The Campaign for Georgia Tech is the belief that there is no greater investment than our students. Thank you all who are investing in our students for generations to come.