Funding a Scholarship at Bethany
Did you know that you could make a very significant impact upon Bethany Lutheran College by gifts to scholarship endowments? It is far easier than you might think, and more Bethany supporters are establishing scholarship endowments all the time. With the matching dollars available, especially with deferred gifts, you don't have to have a lot of money to establish a significant scholarship.

Scholarships accomplish so many things. Most importantly, they make it possible for deserving young men and women to receive a Bethany education. They also help keep the college strong financially. Additionally, establishing a named scholarship at Bethany is a wonderful way to remember a loved one.

Financial Aid at Bethany
In fact, very few people pay the "list price" for a college education today. The financial aid available to students includes merit-based scholarships and need-based grants, loans, and work-study programs.

What This Means to Students
For many students, the cost for education can be made much more affordable. More than 90% of Bethany students receive at least some financial aid.

What This Means to the College
From the point of view of a college like Bethany, there are two major considerations:

• Financial aid helps Bethany achieve its mission of providing a Christ-centered higher education to more young men and women.
  In order to fulfill its mission as an institution, Bethany needs to reach students. Bethany is currently the least expensive private liberal arts college in Minnesota, but the reality is that many students still pass up the opportunity for a Christian education because a government school, supported by the tax base is, or appears to be, less expensive. The Board of Regents has been committed to minimizing tuition increases in order to keep Bethany affordable.
  
  
• Financial aid costs the institution.
  Often financial aid is paid for right out of Bethany's budget. This means that when a student is paying considerably less than the cost of education, that money must be made up by regular gifts from friends and alumni. If the annual contributions don't keep pace with these financial aid costs, the result is a deficit.

The Importance of Scholarship Endowments
Endowed scholarships are funds contributed by individuals or businesses through regular gifts and special contributions, as well as wills and other planned gifts. These funds are placed in special accounts and are invested. Annually, a portion of the income is used for financial aid, while remaining funds are allowed to grow.

Endowed scholarships are crucial to the future of the college, and as you can see, they are slowly growing. They eventually will protect the college from variations in expenses for financial aid, and thus will continue to make Bethany affordable.

Many who have contributed to such scholarships have experienced the satisfaction of receiving letters from Bethany students who were only able to attend Bethany because of help from others. Endowed scholarships are crucial to our future.

How YOU Can Establish a Scholarship Endowment!
Currently there are over 150 endowed scholarships. Two are in excess of $1 million; a few are less than $1000. When a named endowment fund reaches $10,000 it is listed in the catalog and in the commencement program. Some of the largest endowments started out very small.

• MATCHING makes scholarship funds grow. Thrivent Financial and other organizations will match your gift or a portion of it. Many companies match gifts to educational institutions as well. In all cases, check with your employer for specifics.
• A PLEDGE may result in an immediate match in some cases, even as the payments on the pledge are being made.
• A DEFERRED GIFT, such as including Bethany in your will, or establishing a gift annuity or trust, will qualify for certain kinds of matching.
• REGULAR GIFTS to a scholarship fund will add up over the years, especially if matched.

To establish a scholarship fund, all you need to do is to decide how to make the first gift, decide how the grants will be made from the fund (usually to students who have financial need), and sign a form. The development office would be happy to send you a sample scholarship form.

You don't have to establish a scholarship fund to make an important difference – you can also direct a gift of any size to an existing scholarship.

For Further Information...
For further information regarding contributions toward endowed scholarships, call 1-800-944-3066