Even though ATC offers affordable tuition, about half of our students need financial aid to attend, and some are ineligible for federal financial aid due to a variety of factors. Even with aid, many students still have unmet needs for books, supplies, technology, and other expenses. Scholarships and retention grants provide much-needed support to dozens of students annually.
Foundation
Support Students By Supporting Athens Tech
Every donation helps us provide our students with resources for success.
A trained workforce is paramount to securing and keeping new businesses for our region and ensuring strong, stable communities. Your support helps ensure the area remains a top destination for businesses and families.
Illuminate Gala: Light up the night for students
The Foundation Board of Directors invites you to celebrate at the second annual Illuminate dinner on April 17, 2025 at The Classic Center in Athens. The evening will spotlight the generosity of donors as well as the Foundation’s impact on workforce development in our community since 1988. We hope you will join us for the festivities as we illuminate our past and shed light on the future! The keynote speaker will be Janis Mangum, first female Sheriff of Jackson County and the only female sheriff in Georgia at the time of her election in 2012.
Registration & reception: 5:30 p.m.| Dinner & program: 6:30 p.m.
Other Ways to Give
Donate By Phone
Make a credit card gift over the phone by calling the Athens Tech Foundation at (706) 355-5025.
Mail a Gift
Write your check to Athens Tech Foundation and then mail to:
Jen Welborn
Athens Tech Foundation
800 U.S. Highway 29 North
Athens, GA 30601
You can double or triple your gift to Athens Tech Foundation if you or your spouse work for a company with a matching gift program.
To make a gift of stock please contact Jen Welborn, Director of Institutional Advancement at jwelborn@athenstech.edu or (706) 355-5025.
How to recommend a gift to Athens Tech Foundation.
- Request a grant distribution through your Donor Advised Fund sponsor.
- Be sure to use Athens Tech Foundation’s EIN # 58-1824771
- Indicate whether your gift is unrestricted or designated to a specific fund/scholarship
Planned gifts enable you to preserve your assets during your lifetime and leave a valuable legacy to the Athens Tech Foundation.
The Athens Tech Foundation welcomes the donation of in-kind gifts to support our students’ educational journey. To make an in-kind donation please contact Jen Welborn, Director of Institutional Advancement at jwelborn@athenstech.edu or (706) 355-5025.
Athens Technical College Faculty and Staff can elect to participate in payroll deduction at any point throughout the year. To make sign up for payroll deduction please contact Jen Welborn, Director of Institutional Advancement at jwelborn@athenstech.edu or (706) 355-5025. Faculty and staff will need to re-enroll annually.
Athens Tech Foundation
Our Mission
To partner with Athens Technical College and with the community to build the workforce of today and for the future.
Our Vision
To be the influential liaison with Athens Technical College and with the community to fulfill the college mission.
Overview
The Athens Tech Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Athens Technical College. It serves as a bridge between donors and the college, ensuring that resources are available to the College and its students. Established in 1988, The Athens Tech Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit corporation registered under the Internal Revenue Code’s section 501(c)(3) and is further classified as a public charity under section 509(a)(1) of the Code. The Foundation is governed by a board of directors compromised of community leaders in the College’s eleven county service area.
The Foundation actively seeks out and partners with businesses, industries, foundations, organizations, and individuals who wish to invest in our students through grants, scholarships, endowments, and in-kind donations. All gifts made by cash, check, real or personal property, securities, bequests, or by naming the Foundation as a beneficiary of insurance policies, trusts, or retirement plans are tax-deductible. Gifts can be designated as unrestricted or restricted by the donor.
The Athens Tech Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. It is the policy of the Athens Tech Foundation that a percentage of gifts will be used to defray the costs of administering funds based on policies set by the Board.
Areas of Need
Athena Fund (Greatest Need)
These gifts allow the Foundation to support college-wide needs and Foundation operations. Gifts of all sizes are needed to sustain operations and support the College’s mission.
Retention Grants
Settles past due balances for students in good academic standing who would have otherwise been rolled out of their classes. Retention Grants funds help increase retention and graduation rates.
Foundation Scholarship Fund
Supports eight annual scholarships each semester set up by the Foundation Board of Directors. $500 will sponsor a full-time student for one semester.
Named or Endowed Scholarships
Named scholarships require a $5,000 investment. Endowed scholarships start at $10,000 and can be made in pledge payments.
Foundation Scholarships
All ATC students are encouraged to submit the general application and see which scholarships they are eligible to apply for. All parts of the application, including letters of recommendation, must be received by the posted deadline to be considered. Late applications will not be accepted.
To view our list of scholarships, please click here.
FAQ’s
Scholarship applications are accepted Fall and Spring semesters.
FAFSA Submission Summary and a Letter of Recommendation. You will receive your Submission Summary after you complete the FAFSA. (Please do not upload a dummy file as this will disqualify you from being eligible for the scholarship.) If you are unable to complete the FAFSA for any reason, please reach out to Jen Welborn at (706) 355-5025 to discuss alternative options.
Scholarship applications cannot be submitted until letters of recommendation have been uploaded by the individual writing the letter.
Scholarships are reviewed by a committee of Athens Technical College Staff and Foundation Board Members.
Students will be notified via email (from noreply@mail.awardspring.com) if they are approved or not for a scholarship.
A staff member of the Athens Tech Foundation will email the recipient a Scholarship Funds Form for the recipient to review. If all the information is correct, the recipient will print off, sign and date. In the email, it will tell the student who they will need to give their completed Scholarship Funds Form to.
Yes. In an effort to acknowledge the generosity of Athens Tech Foundation donors, scholarship recipients are asked to write a thank you note for the assistance they have received. Stationary will be provided to the student upon request to complete the thank you note.
Thank you notes should be delivered to the Athens Tech Foundation office. The front door reads Institutional Advancement Office. The Foundation is located in the F-Building, on the first floor, between the double doors, right before you head outside to walk up the stairs.
All Scholarship Funds Forms need to be completed and submitted to the Foundation Director no later than the final payment date per semester.
Athens Tech Foundation 2024 Board of Directors
Officers
Chair
Ms. Lori Lord | Owner/CEO, Promotional Marketing Services
Vice-Chair
Mr. William “Bill” Bushnell | Attorney
Treasurer
Ms. Katherine Alexander | Vice President, Retail Market Manager, Synovus
Secretary
Ms. Susan Bogardus | Market President, BankSouth
Board
Mr. Jeremiah Bame | Chief Nursing Officer, Piedmont Athens Regional Hospital
Mr. Jeff Brown | Senior Vice President of Operations, St. Mary’s Health Care System
Mr. Fred Butler | Athens Sales Center Manager, Athens Coca-Cola Bottling Co.
Mr. Paul Cramer | President/CEO, The Classic Center
Ms. Patricia Dixen | Retired, Marketing Director
Mr. Dwain Evans | Director of Enterprise Accounts-Retail Sector, UPS
Ms. Shannon Ford | VP – Athens Financial Center Manager, Oconee State Bank
Mr. John Howard | Mayor of Monroe and Director of Sales, Georgia, Kaeser & Blair, Inc.
Mr. Graham Joyner | Co-Founder and CEO, METAL + PETAL
Ms. Jill Kent | Senior Operations Manager, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine
Ms. Rachel McCall | Director of Marketing & Patient Experience, Elbert Memorial Hospital
Ms. Lindsay Lucas McConnell | Vice President, Phil Hughes Automotive Group
Ms. Joy Pirkel | Lean Development Manager, Caterpillar Inc.
Mr. Whit Richardson | Owner, Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe
Mr. John Skinner | Commercial/Industrial Engineer, Jackson EMC
Ms. Carol Williams | Associate Broker, Coldwell Banker Upchurch Realty
Mr. Sam Young | Retired Economic Development Director
Member Ex-Officio
Dr. Andrea D. Daniel | President, Athens Technical College
Mr. Antoine Boynton | Vice President of External Affairs and Institutional Advancement, Athens Technical College
Ms. Jen Welborn | Director of Institutional Advancement, Athens Technical College
Contact Us
If you have any questions about the Athens Tech Foundation please contact us by email.