First Coast Community Development Inc. Expands STEM Scholarship Program

In 2023, former Marine Charlie Griffin and his daughter Carly founded the corporate scholarships for college students based on community service in Northeast Florida who wish to attend an HBCU and study a STEM field. The two initially began the fund with $10,000, but have increased the variety of scholarships and likewise expanded the applicant pool to incorporate enrolled undergraduate students.

As reported, the fund is currently price $50,000 and has a community service aspect of scholarship requirements it’s something that resonates deeply with Charlie, who pays for meals every week for the homeless community in Jacksonville. Griffin said, “I think it’s important to invest in the community that you’re going to live in,” Charlie Griffin said. “And do something that you’ll really be remembered for in your community, because you never know who you’re going to touch.”

The scholarship is split evenly between 25 undergraduate students and 25 recent graduates, and Carly said that although the scholars who will receive the scholarships usually are not much younger than her, it sends a positive signal that so many wish to be a positive influence of their society. “We want to be able to promote others in the community and make a difference,” Carly Griffin explained. “I’m so grateful that we get to do this for another year and grateful that there are so many eager students, just a little younger than me, but still motivated to make a difference.”

According to the scholarship website, Charlie, CEO of First Coast Community Development Inc., offers an extra incentive to those whose work focuses on HIV prevention and likewise awards additional money to the scholar who makes one of the best video in each category. “In addition, our CEO, Charlie Griffin, sweetened the deal. If your video is about PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) to prevent HIV infection, you will receive an additional $250 in addition to the scholarship, and the best video in the high school and undergraduate categories will receive an additional $500.”

Since FAFSA and the Department of Education’s implementation of the FAFSA Simplification Act have made it tougher for college students to acquire federal aid, scholarships like it will help as students proceed to attend. As reported, only about 4 million students have applied for federal aid, which is significantly fewer than the 17 million students who typically use the FAFSA. While the new edition of the FAFSA is anticipated to profit more low-income students, delays have forced universities to thrust back deadlines to accommodate the federal government’s mishandled rollout.

On April 10, the Department of Education was questioned by members of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development at a hearing where the disastrous rollout was discussed. Committee Chairman Burgess Owens (R-UT) didn’t mince his words in his opening statement. “Despite our efforts, the Department of Education’s implementation of the FAFSA has been fraught with delays and dysfunction,” Owens said. “Without accountability, the Department of Education’s failed implementation risks harm to students, families and institutions.”