Meeting Street Scholarship Fund to provide $2.1 million to Greenville students
Published Date: September 9, 2026
Nearly 300 Greenville County high school seniors are expected to earn an estimated $2.1 million for college from the Meeting Street Scholarship as it expands statewide for the first time.
Meeting Street Scholarship Fund leaders highlighted the Scholarship’s expansion alongside Greenville County Schools officials and lawmakers during the kickoff of a statewide tour aimed at ensuring eligible students and families know about the Scholarship.
Beginning with the Class of 2027, eligible Greenville County graduates can receive up to $10,000 toward tuition, housing, food and fees at one of 16 in-state colleges.
“One of the best investments we can make is in our most promising students,” said Rep. Bruce Bannister, R-Greenville, who supported the funding that made the Scholarship expansion possible. “Our continued economic success depends in part on developing a strong, skilled workforce. This partnership leverages public and private resources to help more students earn a degree with less debt and ultimately benefits businesses and communities in Greenville and across the state.”
The expansion is possible through a unique public-private partnership. The Scholarship has been available to students in 14 counties through private philanthropy. Remarkable donors have committed more than $87.8 million to 2,219 recipients, 48 percent of whom are first generation college students. Those donors include: Ben and Kelly Navarro; the Darla Moore Foundation; Susu and George Dean Johnson, Jr; Jessica and Todd Aaron; Dave Proctor; the family of Doug Buckminster and other anonymous donors.
The South Carolina General Assembly approved in this year’s budget $18.7 million in recurring funding to make the Scholarship available to all 46 counties. Nearly 3,000 students in South Carolina’s high school class of 2027 are expected to benefit from the Scholarship.
“The expansion of this Scholarship is building on a model that already has demonstrated meaningful results,” said Sen. Ross Turner, R-Greenville. “These public dollars help us leverage private philanthropy, and we’ll be able to measure the impact of that investment and ensure it’s delivering results. For Greenville County, it means more high-achieving students will be able to afford a college education, setting them up for successful careers and financial stability.”
The Scholarship’s goal from the start has been to help students afford college without significant debt. The state’s hard-working, under-resourced students who earn the merit-based LIFE or Palmetto Fellows Scholarship and qualify for a Federal Pell Grant still owe an average of $7,870 annually to cover basic college expenses. The Meeting Street Scholarship covers that gap by providing up to $10,000 per year for tuition, housing, meals and fees.
“For our students, this removes a significant barrier to a college education that may otherwise have felt financially out of reach,” said Dr. Burke Royster, superintendent of Greenville County schools. “Our students work incredibly hard to prepare for college, and the Meeting Street Scholarship helps ensure cost does not stand in the way of what they have earned. We appreciate our students and their families having access to this new state-supported scholarship.”
The Greenville event is the first stop in a statewide tour that will bring Meeting Street Scholarship leaders to high schools. The effort will focus on reaching high school seniors, counselors and families, especially in the 32 counties where the Scholarship is available for the first time.
“We are humbled by the state’s investment in the Scholarship, and we look forward to demonstrating the life-changing impact of this funding on our state’s students,” said Josh Bell, president of Beemok Education, a portfolio of education initiatives that includes Meeting Street Schools, the Meeting Street Scholarship Fund and the Excellence in Teaching Awards. “Our goal this year is to ensure that every single eligible South Carolina high school senior is aware of this life-changing Scholarship opportunity.”
The state funding will make one year of the Scholarship available to eligible high school seniors graduating in spring 2027. The Scholarship hopes to continue partnering with the state to continue supporting those students in college as well as extend the Scholarship to future high school graduating classes.
To qualify for the Scholarship, students must:
- Reside in South Carolina
- Graduate from a South Carolina high school in spring 2027
- Complete the FAFSA and receive a Federal Pell Grant
- Earn the South Carolina LIFE or Palmetto Fellows Scholarship; and
- Enroll full time at an eligible South Carolina college.
Eligible colleges must have a three-year average graduation rate of at least 50 percent.
In addition to financial support, the Meeting Street Scholarship offers programming to help students succeed in college and beyond, including community-building, leadership development and work experience.
Applications for the Scholarship for the 2027-28 school year are expected to launch in November. Students and families can learn more, check eligibility and fill out an interest form now to receive application updates at meetingstreetscholarshipfund.org.
