The Knoxville Panther Scholarship Foundation
started in 2002 when members of the Knoxville Education Foundation began exploring the establishment of a scholarship program to benefit KHS graduates in their pursuit of a post-secondary education. Ultimately, it was decided to affiliate with a national scholarship organization known as Dollars for Scholars/Scholarship America (DFS/SA). This affiliatio
n offered numerous advantages including partnering with a nationally-recognized organization, local control, convenient access to online tools, collegiate matching fund opportunities, and the application of recipients’ scholarship awards to educational institutions without reducing their financial aid packages. In the early years of our association we enjoyed a “hands-off” relationship that allowed us to grow and manage the scholarship program locally. In recent years, that relationship has shifted to become more intrusive, while many of those previous affiliate benefits have been eliminated. In fact, only one of the 839 KHS recipients has ever received matching funds. We’ve also learned that, except in rare circumstances, financial aid offices treat our awards like any other scholarship. Additionally, DFS/SA has significantly increased administrative procedures and affiliate dues, and has introduced requests for recipient acceptance confirmation and private donor information of which, we’ve refused to provide. Moving forward, our board members have decided to discontinue the relationship and will be renaming our organization the “Knoxville Panther Scholarship Foundation.” However, most daily operations won’t change at all. Our foundation will operate just as it has in the past with all of the funds remaining locally held and managed. The Knoxville Panther Scholarship Foundation will continue to be a fully qualified tax-deductible charitable organization with 501(C) (3) status under the Internal Revenue Service Code. We will continue to partner with all of the local organizations, businesses, churches, and individuals to combine their scholarship awards with ours and present those gifts at the annual scholarship awards night in May. The only noticeable differences will be our organization’s name, the development of our own website and a return to the independence that we initially enjoyed. Please be assured that this decision reflects a board that will always act in the best interests of KHS students. We are committed to growing and leveraging the financial contributions of this generous community to help our students succeed in their education!
