The Scioto Foundation has reached a milestone at 60 percent of its pledge to raise $440,000 in new scholarship dollars as its commitment to a $52,000 grant received from the Ohio College Access Network’s (OCAN) Ohio Can! Go to College Program, according to SF Executive Director Kim Cutlip.

The foundation has pledged is a two-year goal. One year into the pledge more than half has been obtained through a variety of newly established scholarship funds and other funds contributed.

The grant provides funding for consultant services from the Philanthropic Resource Group from Columbus to offer training and planning in fundraising for Scioto County school districts and the Foundation as both seek to increase their endowments and scholarships for local students.

“We are so excited to have raised approximately 60 percent of our pledge at this stage,” Cutlip said.

She attributed the foundation’s progress to local donors and 11 Scioto County and Portsmouth school districts that have enthusiastically joined the UCAN or University/College Access Network Plan program.

The Foundation’s UCAN project goal is that one day every student from Scioto County will have the financial resources to attend the college or university of his or her choice.

One of the key components of the UCAN plan, is the foundation’s offer to provide 1:1 matching challenge grants to each school system for every dollar raised for its scholarship fund up to $10,000 per year. Scholarship support has been pledged for five years; the first year of matching grants ends August 2009.

Each of the participating schools have developed fundraising strategies to further develop their endowments.

Five schools have established payroll deductions “making it possible for everyone to contribute to the scholarship endowment funds at a level appropriate for each person,” Cutlip said.

The Foundation will bring together fundraising teams from the school systems for the second training session to be held from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. March 3 at the Scioto County Welcome Center.