GoFundMe to Award $100,000 in College Scholarships

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Sept. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- GoFundMe, the world's largest social fundraising platform, today announced the GoFundMe Scholarship, which will give away $100,000 toward college tuition. Ten college or postgraduate students will be awarded $10,000 each to help pay for their education. To qualify for the chance to win the scholarship, an existing or newly created GoFundMe campaign must have the hashtag #GFMScholarship in the campaign description and raise money from at least ten unique donors.

Over the past several years, students, teachers, and parents are increasingly turning to GoFundMe to raise money for education expenses, including tuition. In fact, in the last two years, over $100 million has been raised on GoFundMe for education related campaigns, making it the fastest growing category on the platform. Every month, college campaigns raise more than $1.5 million on GoFundMe, with the average campaign raising nearly $2,000. In just the last 12 months, $20 million has been raised for college tuition on GoFundMe. With the average college graduate in 2016 facing $37,172 in student loan debt—up 6% from last year—the need is clear.

"Keeping Kyare at Morehouse" is one recent campaign that shows how GoFundMe is making a difference for students in need of financial assistance. After his first year at Morehouse College, DC native Kyare was named the most outstanding student in his engineering program. But short-term financial difficulties nearly brought his college career to a halt, until his community helped raise over $15k in less than a month.

"We know there are countless students out there who need help with the rising costs of college," said GoFundMe CEO Rob Solomon. "At GoFundMe, we see incredible stories every single day of communities coming together to make sure students get the education they deserve. With the GoFundMe Scholarship, we hope to make these inspiring students' educational dreams come true."

How Do Campaigns Qualify?
Step 1: Create a new GoFundMe campaign or update an existing campaign using the hashtag #GFMScholarship in the campaign description between September 21 and September 28.

Step 2: Also in the campaign description, tell the GoFundMe community why the student should receive a $10,000 grant for their college tuition.

Step 3: Share the campaign on social media and raise money from ten unique donors.

Campaigns are eligible for the $10,000 scholarship if they are created by or for an undergraduate or graduate student at an accredited college or university in the United States. Eligible campaigns can be created by students, family members, friends, professors, or anyone who knows a student in need. Eligible campaigns must raise money from 10 unique donors.

How Are the Scholarships Selected?
If your campaign is eligible, it will be reviewed by GoFundMe. The ten campaigns will be selected by a GoFundMe selection committee and announced in October.

About GoFundMe
Launched in 2010, GoFundMe is the world's largest social 'fundraising platform, with over $2 billion raised so far. With a community of more than 25 million donors, GoFundMe is changing the way the world gives.

Contact: GoFundMe Press | [email protected]

SOURCE GoFundMe