The Windgate Foundation has provided a $6.4 million grant to Arkansas State University to support arts education.
This grant is designed to give direct assistance to students through needs-based scholarships. The Windgate gift will create three endowments to support students.
One of the endowments created by the gift will be a $3 million endowment for need-based scholarships that will begin impacting students in the 2021-2022 academic year. According to an A-State release, the full details on how students will receive Windgate scholarships will be determined in May 2021.
“On behalf of Arkansas State, I want to thank the Windgate Foundation for their ongoing support of the arts and our students,” Chancellor Kelly Damphousse said in a statement. “We know the value that art plays in our communities, both on campus and across our region, and these grants will ensure the continued impact of both A-State and art in Northeast Arkansas.”
The Windgate gift ranks among the top three all-time gifts that A-State has received for the arts. However, this is not the first funding Windgate has awarded A-State. The nonprofit provided a $2 million endowment and a $30,000 matching grant for the Bradbury Art Museum.
Recently, Windgate gave $8 million to the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith to provide direct student support through need-based scholarships. This gift also provided funds for academic program development, an artist-in-residence program and a building endowment.
READ MORE: University of Arkansas at Fort Smith Receives $8 Million Gift from Windgate Foundation