FMU Education Foundation receives $32,500 grant from Power:Ed to help SC students retain their merit scholarships

Pictured left to right: Dr. Jennifer Kunka, FMU President Dr. Fred Carter, Lauren Stanton, Jennifer Taylor, and Claire Gibbons

The Francis Marion University Education Foundation has been awarded a $32,500 grant from Power:Ed, the philanthropy of SC Student Loan Corporation, to support the expansion of FMU’s Summer Success program to help approximately 35 students from South Carolina retain their merit scholarships. Funding will cover up to four credit hours of summer tuition and fees for students with high financial need who must take summer courses to meet state merit scholarship requirements.

Initially created to support freshmen students struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, this initiative has a broad impact on low-income, underrepresented, and first-generation students. Power:Ed funding will allow FMU to expand student eligibility and continue providing this valuable program to South Carolina students, many of whom are from the Pee Dee region and rely on state scholarships to fund their education.

State merit scholarships require first-year students to earn 30 credits and a 3.0 LIFE GPA before the next academic year. Students who struggle academically or must withdraw from a course often find it difficult to meet those requirements during the regular academic year. As a result, summer coursework becomes necessary to maintain scholarship eligibility. However, many students find the cost of summer courses to be restrictive. Consequently, students who lose their state-merit scholarship are at the greatest risk of discontinuing their college education.

With the help of federal funding from 2022-2024, FMU’s pilot project showed success, and the university expanded upon that success with the aid of a Power:Ed grant in 2025. Approximately 77% of students assisted through this program have kept their scholarships, helping many first-generation students from high-need backgrounds continue their university education.

“We are grateful to Power:Ed for investing in the success of our students,” said FMU President Fred Carter. “This support helps remove financial barriers for students working to retain their scholarships and continue pursuing their educational goals.”

“Power:Ed and SC Student Loan are proud to support this incredible program from Francis Marion for a second summer, to help more students retain their merit scholarships and persist to graduation. We hope it will become a model that can be replicated by higher education institutions across South Carolina,” said Power:Ed Executive Director Claire Gibbons.

In FY 2025-26 Power:Ed has awarded $1,325,000 in grants to South Carolina education and career readiness organizations including this FMUEF grant. Grants are administered quarterly, and the next grant funding deadline is July 1, 2026.