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MARSHALL -- The Pride In the Tiger Foundation looks like it's on track to offer an estimated total of $185,000 in student scholarships this year, after a dip in funds in 2022 and 2023.
"I think the numbers are looking good. We've really seen growth," PITF Executive Director Krista Bjella said at Monday's Marshall School Board meeting.
Bjella gave school board members an update on PITF's activities, and support the foundation has received for grants and scholarships.
"Our two big impact areas are our scholarships - and we're just getting into the meat of that season right now - and Classroom Impact Grants." "Our next (Classroom Impact) grant deadline is March 1, and we've been receiving applications for that deadline."
In the 2022-23 school year, PITF had a total of $173,210 for scholarships and $76,330 for Teacher Impact Grants. Based on current reports, there will be about $185,000 for scholarships this year. PITF also had about $54,000 for Teacher Impact Grants through October.
"We did have a little dip last year in our ability to give both in scholarships and in Teacher Impact Grants, and it was really due to where the markets were at," Bjella said. "The great news is we're seeing that turn around."
Bjella said she was in the process of gathering information on PITF's annual scholarships, and the foundation would be meeting next week to talk about their endowed scholarships.
"Our annual scholarships are growing, which I love to see. That just means more people want to get involved," she said.
The number of teachers applying for PITF grants has also grown over the past two years, Bjella said. In the 2022-23 school year, there were 59 applicants in October and 36 in March. This year, there were 61 applicants in October, with the March round still accepting applicants.
The projects supported by Teacher Impact Grants are focused on student learning, with a lasting impact, she said.
Bjella said PITF has also seen success in raising funds through sponsorships on the video board in the Marshall High School gymnasium. "We've added two advertising spots in the last couple years," she said. Both Runnings and ADM had approached PITF about advertising on the video board, she said.
The gym sponsorships generate nearly $70,000 in revenue a year that goes toward Classroom Impact Grants, Bjella said.
As Marshall Public Schools worked to open a Career and Technical Institute in Marshall, PITF also found community partners to help support the project.
"We've had several new supporters come forward, and we're still working on all of those processes," she said. The foundation has raised nearly $130,000 to help support career and technical education - a total that included grants and donations from businesses like T-Mobile, Avera Health, U.S. Bank, the Taco Bell Foundation and Carlson & Steward Refrigeration.