BPW/FL Education Foundation was create in 1965 with the ambitious mission to provide housing assistance to women attending Florida state universities.
It All Began In Tallahassee …
The BPW Scholarship House – Tallahassee came into existence in 1965, when the newly chartered Education Foundation joined forces with Southern Scholarship Foundation (SSF) to purchase the first BPW flagged scholarship house adjoining Florida State University. This house provided a home to 2,022 undergraduate women during its 12 years of operation. In 1976, this house was sold, and a new house was built.
The current BPW Scholarship House, initially housed 20 students and one House Manager, although in recent years, the number of residents has fluctuated as high as 23. Built on Stadium Drive adjacent to the FSU campus, this scholarship house serves women students from Tallahassee Community College, Florida State University, and Florida A & M University during the school year, and passing students over the summer.
Then came UCF, Orlando …
A second house was built on the University of Central Florida, (UCF) in Orlando. It housed 14 students and one resident advisor. Dedicated in 1986, at a cost of $235,000, the 10-year note was paid in full in just four years. Tucked alone in a cul de sac near the University President’s home, this house was occupied for 27 years before being decommissioned in 2014. High maintenance and campus expansion plans no longer made low-residency housing feasible.
FAU, Boca Raton followed…
Our third scholarship house, build on the campus at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, was dedicated in 1996. Although, by then, construction costs had tripled to $360,000, the Education Foundation paid off the note in less than the 10-year plan, receiving an approximate discount of $6000 for early payment.
Pursuing educations in a myriad of fields, the 17 women sharing the BPW FAU Scholarship House tell us their shared spaces, responsibilities, and activities have provided invaluable life skills and experiences.
In the new millennia, things began to change, but our Mission continued…
St. Petersburg College Scholarships
Following the successful establishment of scholarship houses at FSU (Tallahassee), UCF (Orlando), and FAU (Boca Raton), the Education Foundation continued its mission to provide educational support for deserving female students through a scholarship fund established at St. Petersburg College. This change in focus directly resulted from economic and social forces which affected the feasibility of on-campus scholarship houses. From 2013 through 2021, $95,000 in scholarships was awarded to worthy women students attending St. Pete College.
Z. Ray Ross BPW/FL UNF Nursing Scholarships
In 2017, when long-time Jacksonville member, Z. Ray Ross bequeathed funds to the Education Foundation for nursing scholarships to her alma matter, University of North Florida (UNF) Jacksonville, the Z. Ray Ross Business and Professional Women’s Clubs/FL Nursing Housing Scholarship became a reality.
Forming a partnership with the Florida Nurses Association Foundation, our Foundation granted a total of $15,000 to 7 women nursing students over approximately of 5 years, honoring our commitment to our friend, “Z.Ray.”
OUR FOCUS ADJUSTS WITH THE TIMES
Recognizing that many women seek training in areas that do not entail a college degree, but non-the less deliver a career and a living wage, the Education Foundation submitted a proposal to the 2023 BPW/FL Annual State Conference to create a targeted grant program utilizing the Jackie Fleener Fund to provide support for women in financial need while obtaining education through Florida State College Certificate programs.
The Pathway the Economic Stability Grant was designed to provide a qualified student an award at the beginning of each term of the certificate program, providing underlying security, until its completion.
In 2024 the Education Foundation BPW/FL and Palm Beach State College successfully partnered in a $15,000 Pathway Grant Pilot Program providing scholarships to three women pursuing technical medical training $5,000 each, distributed over their two- term certificate program.
Pathway to Economic Stability Grant Pilot Program
BPWFL Education Foundation board at Pathway to Economic Stability Grant Agreement signing with Palm Beach State College Foundation
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BPW Tallahassee Scholarship House
Since 1965
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BPW FAU Scholarship House
Since 1992
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Scholarships for Deserving Women
Since 2013
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Pathway to Economic Stability Grant
Since 2024