GoFundMe announced on Thursday its awarded ten recipients a total of $100,000 through its first scholarship program. Each of the students was given $10,000, which will go towards college expenses.
Last month, GoFundMe shared details about the scholarship program and revealed that over few years students, teachers, and parents have turned to its website to raise funds for education expenses, which include high tuition costs. It was also reported that more than $100 million has been devoted to education-related campaigns on GoFundMe and in the past year alone, $20 million has been raised for tuition.
To qualify for the scholarships, each student had to create a crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe, shared stories about the obstacles they had overcome in pursuing their education, how they have demonstrated character, and what winning the scholarship would mean to them. All while using the hashtag #GFMScholarship. Within one week, the contest reportedly had over 600 campaigns raise over $200,000 towards college expenses. Rob Solomon, GoFundMe CEO, stated:
“We’re proud and excited to help these remarkable, determined students achieve their educational dreams. All of us here have been touched by the stories shared by the scholarship winners, and we can’t wait to see how they’ll continue to give back to their communities.”
GoFundMe added that each of the ten GoFundMe scholarship winners came from different backgrounds, but all have been determined to get an education despite challenges that have come their way
