Fund for Wisconsin Scholars

What Fund for Wisconsin Scholars does

The Fund for Wisconsin Scholars (FFWS) is a private 501(c)(3) charitable foundation established in December 2007 in Madison, Wisconsin, with the primary purpose of providing need-based, gifted grants to randomly selected graduates of Wisconsin public high schools who are PELL Grant recipients enrolling at University of Wisconsin four-year institutions. Eligibility is determined using FAFSA data in cooperation with the Universities of Wisconsin System, with UW System Administration (UWSA) handling random selection and campus financial aid offices disbursing funds directly to student accounts in fall, spring, and summer semesters; grants recur for up to 8-10 semesters and do not require repayment. The foundation's core products are its Need-Based Grants Program and a complementary Peer Mentoring Program that pairs freshman and transfer scholars with junior/senior FFWS recipient mentors on most campuses.

FFWS is funded entirely through charitable contributions, primarily from founding trustees John P. and Tashia F. Morgridge, who contributed an initial $175 million (6 million shares of Cisco stock) at founding and an additional $25 million in September 2023, taking cumulative donor investment above $260 million. Since inception, FFWS has supported more than 25,000 Wisconsin scholars and disbursed in excess of $110 million in grants and stipends through 2022; the annual eligible applicant pool comprises approximately 5,000 Wisconsin public high school graduates. Operations are intentionally lean (1-10 employees) and rely on the existing UW System channel rather than a direct consumer GTM motion.

The organization is led by Executive Director Kelly Ruppel (appointed August 2022, MBA from University of Chicago Booth), succeeding founding executive director Mary Gulbrandsen who retired after 15 years. Governance is provided by a Board of Trustees chaired by Katy Heyning, with founding trustees John P. and Tashia F. Morgridge maintaining active involvement including campus visits. Marketing and outreach are minimal—limited to the ffws.org website and a scholar-stories blog—reflecting the foundation's reliance on institutional referrals through UW System financial aid offices.

Name

Fund for Wisconsin Scholars

Legal name

Fund for Wisconsin Scholars, Inc.

Website

https://ffws.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fund for Wisconsin Scholars is a private 501(c)(3) charitable foundation that provides need-based, no-repayment grants and peer mentoring to PELL-eligible Wisconsin public high school graduates attending University of Wisconsin four-year institutions, funded primarily by founding donors John and Tashia Morgridge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Scholarship Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

akta.pro primary industry

Foundation/NGO & Philanthropic Scholarships (EDAIAOAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Degree-Level Scholarships (Undergrad/Masters/PhD/Postdoc) (EDAIAOAE), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Scholarship foundation
• Higher education grants
• Nonprofit philanthropy
• Need-based scholarships
• College financial aid

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations and Gifts: FFWS is funded entirely through charitable contributions, primarily from its founders John and Tashia Morgridge. The foundation received an initial gift of $175 million in 2007 (6 million shares of Cisco stock) and an additional $25 million gift in 2023. Total investment in Wisconsin students exceeds $260 million.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Fund for Wisconsin Scholars provides need-based grants to randomly selected Wisconsin public high school graduates who are PELL-eligible and attend University of Wisconsin four-year institutions. Grants are recurring for up to 8–10 semesters, require no application and no repayment, and are supplemented by the FRIENDS First peer mentoring program led by a Mentor Coordinator.

Product overview

FFWS operates as a single-product nonprofit organization offering two interconnected services: need-based grants for Wisconsin public high school graduates attending UW four-year universities, and a peer mentoring program. The grants serve as the primary intervention, while the peer mentoring program provides campus-based support to help grant recipients successfully transition to and complete their college education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Need-Based FFWS Grants Recurring, need-based scholarship grants of up to 8–10 semesters for randomly selected PELL-eligible Wisconsin public high school graduates attending four-year University of Wisconsin institutions. No application or repayment is required; eligibility is determined automatically via FAFSA/PELL status, with scholars chosen by random drawing. Over 25,000 scholars have been supported.
• FRIENDS First Peer Mentoring Program Peer mentoring program for FFWS scholars enrolled at University of Wisconsin four-year institutions, coordinated by the foundation's Mentor Coordinator. Provides peer-to-peer academic and social support to complement the financial aid provided by the grants.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25,000+ Wisconsin students supported with grants
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Universities of Wisconsin (UW System)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFFWS partners with the UW System to identify eligible students using FAFSA data. UW System Administration (UWSA) randomly selects grant recipients from the pool of eligible Pell Grant recipients. Campuses then distribute grants through their financial aid offices.
• Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)coreOthersEligibility for FFWS grants is determined using data from the FAFSA. Students must be PELL recipients and have remaining unmet financial need to qualify.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Jack Kent Cooke Foundation: Major US scholarship foundation serving high-achieving low-income students through multi-year awards and college support services; comparable in mission (need-based college access and completion) and endowment scale.
• Dell Scholars: Pell-eligible, low-income student scholarship program with mentoring wraparound support; nearly identical target demographic and intervention model to FFWS.
• Morehead-Cain Foundation: Scholarship foundation providing full-ride awards to North Carolina students attending UNC system schools; operates a similar endowment-driven, multi-year scholarship model with a mentoring/community component. FFWS board member Chris Bradford currently serves as its president.
• QuestBridge: Nonprofit connecting high-achieving low-income students to selective colleges through matching scholarships and support services; comparable mission of college access for low-income students.
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund: Nation's largest not-for-profit supporting Hispanic American higher education through scholarships, mentorship, and support services; similar student demographic focus and wraparound support model.
• Coca-Cola Scholars Program: Achievement-based scholarship program providing multi-year awards to high school seniors; comparable in endowment-funded multi-year award structure though more merit-driven than FFWS.
• Horatio Alger Association: National scholarship program for low-income high school students pursuing bachelor's degrees; similar multi-year award structure and persistence-focused support services.

Broad incumbents

• United Negro College Fund (UNCF): Large-scale scholarship and institutional support organization serving African American students; comparable mission and multi-institution distribution model, though at significantly larger scale.
• Gates Scholarship: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's flagship need-based scholarship for high-achieving minority high school seniors; significantly larger endowment scale but serves an overlapping demographic.

Others

• University of Wisconsin System Financial Aid: FFWS's primary distribution partner and administrative infrastructure layer; not a peer in a competitive sense, but the system through which all FFWS grants flow to recipients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fund-for-wisconsin-scholars-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Fund for Wisconsin Scholars