Scholarships
The Georgia United Methodist Foundation partners with donors, local churches, participating United Methodist-related schools, and the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation to award United Methodist Dollars for Scholars scholarships valued at up to $4,000 each year.
To qualify, students must be an active, full member of a Georgia United Methodist church for at least one year before applying. They must also be enrolled or plan to enroll in a full-time undergraduate or graduate degree program at one of the articipating United Methodist higher education institutions. To learn more, please contact UMHEF at 800-811-8110 or visit www.umhef.org.
In addition to these UM Dollars for Scholars scholarships, the Foundation also manages endowments where the scholarship funds are sent directly to colleges, universities, and seminaries. Since 2011, the Foundation has awarded over 900 scholarships totaling nearly $800,000.
Scholarship Endowments
$25,000 Investment = Annual $1,000 Scholarships Forever
The Foundation’s Scholarship Ministry empowers the next generation of spiritual leaders! Our goal is to increase our scholarship endowments to fund 100 scholarships.
We ask that you prayerfully consider joining us by establishing your own $25,000 endowment or giving to the Foundation's Undesignated Scholarship Endowment Fund. The Foundation will select recipients of the scholarship as a part of the UM Dollars for Scholars Quadruple Match.
To learn more:
1. Please contact the Georgia United Methodist Foundation at 770-449-6726 or info@gumf.org.
2. Or download our Impacting Lives Through Endowed Scholarships brochure here.
Meet a Few of Our Scholarship Donors
When a donor establishes an endowment fund with the Georgia United Methodist Foundation, they can rest assured their gift given to support an organization’s mission or a cause they strongly believe in will endure, even beyond their lifetimes. These donors share the reasons behind their gift and the lasting impact they hope it will make on current and future generations.
The Rev. Karen Elaine Webster Parks and Kenneth D. Parks, Scholarship Endowment Donors, Atlanta
“We have been blessed in abundance with families who always gave back to God and community. We grew up with the Scripture, “to whom much is given, much is expected.” We are strong believers in giving back and would love to see more people of color have the opportunity to be philanthropists. When we created the scholarship endowment fund with the Foundation, it was a double win. We could say specifically it is for a student at Clark Atlanta University, which has an African American heritage and is a Methodist university. A lot of people get out of school with huge debt. We want to soften that blow and create philanthropists who understand the need to give back, especially to communities that don’t normally have that opportunity.”
Bill and Linda Daniel
Scholarship Endowment Donors, Savannah
“We established the Rev. James and Mavis Trice Scholarship Endowment with the Georgia United Methodist Foundation to honor his memory and their ministry together. For about eight years, Jim and Mavis were our pastoral family at Isle of Hope UMC. The scholarship is available to Georgia students in local Methodist churches who want to attend Methodist colleges and universities, giving a preference to students attending LaGrange College. LaGrange is where Jim and Mavis met and began their lives together. We think it is important to recognize young people’s gifts, graces, and talents at the local church level. The Foundation’s investments are well managed and consistent with our Methodist values and philosophies. By placing the funds in the Foundation, we are assured the impact will last forever.”
The Rev. Dr. D. B. (Dee) Shelnutt Jr. and Kandy Jackson Shelnutt
Campership Endowment Donors, Gainesville
“It was important to us to establish an endowment with the Georgia United Methodist Foundation that will fund camperships in perpetuity for young people through North Georgia Camp and Retreat Ministries. Because Camp Glisson is very dear to our hearts, we wanted to help ensure that those who wanted to attend but could not do so because of lack of funds could still be eligible, so they did not miss out on life-changing experiences. We are United Methodists and always want to use the UMC organizations for our missions. We know the history of the Foundation and trust it completely. Many of the Foundation’s leaders are dear friends and people of utmost integrity and highest morals. We have witnessed firsthand the numerous ways GUMF has helped churches expand their ministries.”
2022-2023 Scholarship Recipient
Grateful is the word that best describes Kamisha Washington, a second-year Gammon Theological Seminary student who received a United Methodist Dollars for Scholars scholarship for the 2022-2023 academic year. The $4,000 award included $1,000 in support from the Georgia United Methodist Foundation, St. James UMC in Alpharetta, Gammon Theological Seminary, and the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation.