What We Do

The Florida College System Foundation directs private investment to where it creates the most opportunity for students across the state. Today, that means scholarships at all 28 colleges and statewide programs that bring students together from across the system. The support is also dependable. It reaches every college automatically each year, on a schedule the colleges can count on.

Happy African American student of medicine standing in amphitheater of medical university and looking at camera.
Students studying at library table

Scholarships and student access

Scholarships are how the Foundation started, and they remain at the center of what it does. Each year, scholarship support reaches students at all 28 Florida College System colleges. That support takes several forms, including need-based awards for students for whom cost is the deciding factor, merit-based awards that recognize achievement, and field-specific awards tied to the careers Florida is hiring for. For many of these students, the award is what makes finishing possible.

Statewide Programs

Beyond scholarships, the Foundation runs programs that reach students across the whole system. These include a system-wide cybersecurity competition and a statewide debate held at Florida's Historic Capitol. Programs like these give students real experience and bring them together from colleges in every region. They are possible because the Foundation works across the entire system rather than a single campus.

Map of Florida showing the 28 Florida College System colleges

How Funding Works

What sets the Foundation's support apart is how reliably it arrives. Each year the board approves the distributions in the spring, and the funds are delivered to all 28 colleges by the start of August. Colleges do not submit an application each year and do not wait on a separate decision.

The distributions are guided by clear and consistent factors, including student enrollment, financial need, and the criteria of specific programs. That keeps the funding both predictable for the colleges and intentional in its purpose.

Built for what's next

Scholarships and statewide programs are what the Foundation funds today. They are not the limit of what it can do. The Foundation is built to channel new partnerships into the areas Florida's growth depends on, including specialized equipment, faculty support in high-demand fields, and initiatives tied to specific industries.

That work follows where the state is headed. As Florida builds its workforce in healthcare, cybersecurity, financial technology, advanced manufacturing, and the skilled trades, the Foundation is positioned to direct new investment toward the programs that prepare students for those careers. At the same time, it continues to support first-time students, returning parents, and career changers across the system.

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Campus students smiling

General Fund

The Foundation's General Fund supports the everyday work that makes all of this possible. Gifts go toward the Foundation's general operations and toward its statewide student programming, both the programs running today and new ones as they take shape. Because it is not tied to a single purpose, the General Fund gives the Foundation the flexibility to direct support where it is needed most and to respond as new needs and opportunities arise across the system.

College Campus

Disaster Relief Fund

The Foundation has built a Disaster Relief Fund to help students facing sudden hardship, including the aftermath of natural disasters. The fund is designed to cover urgent, basic needs like food, clothing, temporary shelter, and transportation, so that an emergency does not force a student to give up on their education. Support this resource for students across Florida by giving today.

Two young black students wearing their graduation gowns are hugging and smiling at the university campus on graduation day

Partner With Us

Much of this work is made possible by partners, companies, foundations, and others, who invest across the whole system through a single relationship. If your organization wants to reach students at every Florida College System college, the Get Involved page explains how partnership works.

Florida Student Success Center

The Florida College System Foundation serves as the fiduciary agent and grants manager for the Florida Student Success Center, a statewide resource for research and best practices that support student success. Explore the Center's work and impact across Florida's colleges.