#MeetTheMatch in October: Help the Center Unlock The Kresge Foundation's Challenge Grant!
Earlier this year, we received a very generous grant from The Kresge Foundation to help us fund our day-to-day operations as we support Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) across the country. The Kresge Foundation has challenged us to find matching funding from other donors. That is why we are excited to announce this year's Annual Giving campaign, #MeetTheMatch.
During the month of October, we will be asking you and our other supporters to #MeetTheMatch and help us continue to create new and innovative ways to support MSIs and the tremendous work they do. Your contribution will help us unlock The Kresge Foundation's challenge grant, which will ensure theCenter will continue to operate for years to come. Your continued support and collaboration are essential to achieving our mission.
Your generosity has allowed us to launch many new programs, such as our inaugural faculty-development program, ELEVATE, which equipped early-career faculty from MSIs with training and support to help them lead successful careers as MSI educators. Your support has also allowed us to expand our staff and hire many talented new individuals. Finally, your donations have allowed us to continue to produce in-depth reports, offer research fellowships, and even create a guide to graduate school for MSI students.
As the Center grows in both size and scope, we take this as a sign that we're doing valuable and important work. This is why #MeetTheMatch is about more than fundraising—it is about collectively demonstrating our commitment to lifting MSIs, students of color, and the diversity of our nation.
We can't do it without you! While we have been awarded generous research grants tied to our major MSI capacity-building projects, we simply cannot fund the Center's daily operations without your donations. Without donations like yours, we wouldn't be able to provide as much support for MSIs; we wouldn't be able to train as many faculty of color; we wouldn't be able to help as many MSI students pursue postsecondary degrees. Your gift is therefore critical for us to unlock The Kresge Foundation's challenge grant and maintain the excellence of our research and practice with MSIs across the nation.
We're all in this together. That's why we will be featuring 31 personal #MeetTheMatch stories—one for each day in October—of students, faculty, alumni, and staff whose lives have been improved by their respective MSIs. Please add us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or visit our website to be part of these beautiful MSI stories. We also invite you to post your own #MeetTheMatch photo in support of our cause.
It is our hope that you will join us in our work here at the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions by donating today. Giving is very simple; just follow the #MeetTheMatch button below. Thank you.
All my best,
Marybeth Gasman
Professor & Director of CMSI
