Delaware State University received $1,000,000 in recent grants from the Longwood Foundation designed to support student scholarships and positively influence the overall retention rate of the student body.

The funds provide scholarship support for a number of DSU students in their path toward becoming DSU graduates. The investment by the Longwood Foundation is monitored to verify that a multi-pronged approach, including financial, academic and social supports, can positively impact DSU’s retention and graduation rates.

The initial $500,000 grant from the Longwood Foundation was awarded to DSU with a $500,000 matching gift challenge grant to be used for the same project. The matching gift challenge grant was a two-to-one match for funds that the DSU Foundation raised through spring 2012. The University raised $1 million in order to fully benefit from the challenge grant, thus receiving a total of $1 million in grants from the Longwood Foundation.

The proposal submitted by the Office of Development team to the Longwood Foundation in fall 2010 aimed to address challenging issues facing the University regarding the retention of promising DSU students who face financial difficulties in being able to securely complete their education. While the Longwood Foundation typically funds capital projects, the proposal was received with enthusiasm and awarded in early spring 2011. The challenge was met in winter 2012.