Matthew Gaffney Foundation

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United States
Stamford, CT
Matthew Gaffney Foundation

Our mission is to provide highly motivated, economically disadvantaged students an opportunity to have a successful college experience and productive career.

See if you qualify on our website under apply now! We know what these colleges and universities are looking for in students and we help our students write compelling essays that make them unique in the eyes of admission directors. We also provide:
· SAT/ACT preparation
· Course advisement
· College placement counseling
· College mentoring
· Supervised trips to visit colleges
· A summer camp expe

rience
Our Director, Dr. Margaret G. Benedict, has established strong personal relationships with the admissions directors at top universities. "Over the past ten years our students have been accepted at major colleges and universities such as: Bates, Boston College, Bowdoin, Brown, Bucknell, Columbia, Connecticut College, Dartmouth, Franklin & Marshall, Gettysburg, Harvard, Lehigh, Pitzer, Princeton, St. Lawrence, Trinity, University of Pennsylvania, University of Richmond, University of Vermont, University of Virginia, Vanderbilt, Wesleyan and Williams." We help students in the NY metropolitan area as well as foreign students who want to attend colleges in the U.S.

08/03/2026

Check out the Gaffney kids at camp Chewonki! Canoeing, group bonding, campfires, and fun! We are so happy to have the group back and getting to hear about their experiences and new memories 😎🤗

07/27/2026

We have placed students at Williams for over 20 years 😄🎓👏

07/21/2026

Our group of juniors are off to Maine to camp Chewonki! They will immerse themselves in nature, bond as a group, and create memories. What an amazing experience 👏😎🤩

06/27/2026

✨ Alumni Spotlight ✨

On Wednesday evening, we were thrilled to welcome Mia Piacenza, a recent graduate of Lehigh University and Matthew Gaffney Foundation scholar, to the New Canaan Library to speak with our rising seniors and one incoming Lehigh freshman.

Mia shared how she embraced every opportunity during her four years at Lehigh. She earned a B.S. in Psychology (Clinical & Behavioral Health) with minors in Biology and Health, Medicine, and Society, while building meaningful relationships with professors, joining a sorority, participating in beloved campus traditions like the annual "Bed Races" and LeLaf (the 142 year old Lehigh / Lafayette rivalry), and taking full advantage of the university's Career Center.

One of the highlights of her undergraduate experience was conducting research on potential drug treatments for traumatic brain injuries. Through this opportunity, she gained hands-on laboratory experience while exploring molecular and cell biology, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and behavioral neuroscience.

Mia also reflected on how the support of Dr. B helped her navigate the college admissions process and find a college where she could truly thrive.

This fall, Mia begins the next chapter of her journey as she applies to graduate programs to become a Physician Assistant. We couldn't be prouder of all she has accomplished and are so grateful that she took the time to inspire the next generation of Gaffney students.

Congratulations, Mia! We can't wait to see what you accomplish next. 💙

04/14/2026

On April 10, Dr. B took a group of juniors: Samantha Wynne (Norwalk High), Yisel Vazquez-Santiago (Norwalk High), Ashley Diaz (Norwalk High), and Shirley Milian (AITE Stamford) to visit Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. The group toured the campus and had lunch with Jacklyn Brzoska, a Gaffney Scholar and current junior majoring in Neuroscience and Behavior with a minor in Chemistry.

Jacklyn is conducting research on neurodegenerative diseases using stem cell models; the results of her work have been accepted for publication. She plans to write her senior thesis on Alzheimer’s disease and take a gap year to study for the MCAT before pursuing both an MD and a PhD in neuroscience.

What makes her story even more powerful is that she has been able to fully focus on her academic and research goals thanks to $98,000 per year in scholarships and grants from Wesleyan.

Jacklyn is also part of a growing legacy within the Gaffney community. Her cousin, Natalia Kotowska, is a Gaffney Scholar who graduated from Fairfield University and is now attending Fordham Law School. Currently, Gaffney has four students in law school, two in dental school, three in medical school and a master’s degree candidate at Harvard.

As college costs continue to rise, Gaffney Scholars continue to earn the support they need to succeed. This year alone, students have received significant financial aid from schools including Barnard, Connecticut College, Lehigh, Johns Hopkins, Trinity, Tufts, Wesleyan, and Vassar.

We are incredibly proud of Jacklyn and excited for the next group of rising seniors.

04/05/2026

Dr. B took the students on a campus tour of Connecticut College in New London!

Emily (on right), a Gaffney student enjoying her first year at Conn College, was thrilled to see us!

Nelly (on the left) is still navigating the waitlist, while Noran and Itzel (in the center) have acceptances on the table and are now deciding where they’ll call home next year.

This is what it’s all about: opportunities, choices, and finding the right fit.

Next week, Dr. B will be back on the road, taking our juniors to Wesleyan University to keep the momentum going.

And a huge congratulations to Mallory, who was awarded $98,000 per year from Wesleyan, an incredible achievement!

Address

2704 Long Ridge Road
Stamford, CT
06903

Website

https://www.gaffneyfoundation.com/, https://www.gaffneyfoundation.com/apply-now

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