Foundation – Athens Technical College

Foundation – Athens Technical College Foundation Support Students By Supporting Athens Tech 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. 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. Donate Online Illuminate Gala: Light up the night for students ATHENS, GA — The Athens Tech Foundation invites the community to “Light up the night for students” at the fourth annual Illuminate Gala on Thursday, April 2, 2026, at The Classic Center in Athens. The evening will spotlight Athens Technical College students, celebrate the generosity of donors, and raise support for student success and workforce development across our region. Illuminate Gala 2026 will take place from 5:00–7:30 p.m. The Athens Tech Foundation supports Athens Technical College students through scholarships and emergency assistance, GED® vouchers, and funding for improvements that strengthen the college’s connection to the community. Building on the momentum of recent Illuminate events, the 2025 gala raised more than $100,000 and welcomed over 220 attendees. The 2026 gala will continue shining a light on the life-changing impact of technical education. Tickets and Sponsorships General Admission Tickets: $160 Sponsorship Opportunities: Leading Light — $10,000 (includes 16 attendees) Luminary — $5,000 (includes 8 attendees) Star — $2,500 (includes 8 attendees) Spark — $1,000 (includes 4 attendees) For more information, call (706) 355-5025 or email Foundation@AthensTech.edu. View 2025 Photos 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: 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 Antoine Boynton, Vice President for Institutional Advancement at ABoynton@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 Antoine Boynton, Vice President of Institutional Advancement at ABoynton@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 Antoine Boynton, Vice President for Institutional Advancement at ABoynton@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. Donor Bill of Rights 2023 Impact Report 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 $25,000 and can be made in pledge payments. For additional information, please contact: Antoine Boynton: ABoynton@AthensTech.edu or (706) 355-5025 Form 990s 2019 Form 990 2020 Form 990 2021 Form 990 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. View our list of scholarships here. Create an Account The Athens Tech Foundation uses AwardSpring software to facilitate the scholarship application process. Be sure your internet browser is Internet Explorer version 10 or beyond, or use any version of Chrome or Firefox. Visit AwardSpring and create an account using your ATC student email address . You will be emailed a link to confirm your registration. Please record your password for future use, as you will use this same account and password to apply each semester. Based on your GPA, program of study, and other factors specific to your account, you will automatically be matched with scholarships for which you qualify. Complete the Entire Application Some scholarships require proof of residency or other specific documents you will need to upload. Be sure to provide all information that is requested, including the letter of recommendation. You do not have to complete the application all at once. You may log back in with your student email address and password at any time. If you forget your password and need it reset, please email us. Request and Verify Your Letter of Recommendation YOU are responsible for your recommendations – do not wait until the last minute for this! We suggest asking for a recommendation in advance of putting their contact information on the application, as they will receive an automatic email once you add them to the application. You will receive an email once the recommender has completed it. The recommender may send a signed letter for you to upload instead of an email. Verify Your Class Registration Scholarship applications will not be considered until you have enrolled for the semester you are applying for. Notification/Thank You Letters You will be notified by student email confirming or denying your scholarship award(s). All students who have been awarded scholarship funds must write and upload a thank you letter by the date specified in the chart. 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 the Foundation 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. Each scholarship is different; however, majority of our scholarship awards can be used for tuition and fees first. Any remaining reward money can be used for books, supplies and online learning resources. Some awards may qualify for a disbursement to the award recipient for the remainder. 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 2025 Board of Directors Officers Chair Mr. Graham Joyner | Co-Founder and CEO, METAL + PETAL Vice-Chair Treasurer Ms. Katherine Alexander | Vice President, Retail Market Manager, Synovus Secretary Ms. Joy Pirkel | Lean Development Manager, Caterpillar Inc. Board Mr. Jeremiah Bame | Chief Nursing Officer, Piedmont Athens Regional Hospital Mr. Brian Barfield | Area Manager, AT&T Services, Inc. Ms. Susan Bogardus | Market President, BankSouth Mr. Fred Butler | Athens Sales Center Manager, Athens Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Mr. William “Bill” Bushnell | Attorney 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. 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 Mr. John Skinner | Commercial/Industrial Engineer, Jackson EMC Ms. Martine Thy Nguyen | Ligation Paralegal, Fortson, Bentley & Griffin, P.A. Carol Williams | Associate Broker, Coldwell Banker Upchurch Realty 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 Nominating Committee Chair – John Skinner Scholarship Committee Chair – Patricia Dixen Fundraising Committee Chair – Graham Joyner Finance and Investment Committee Chair – Katherine Alexander Executive Committee Chair – Graham Joyner If you have any questions about the Athens Tech Foundation please contact us by email. Email the Foundation