K-State couple uses matching gifts to help students in the College of Agriculture
John and Jeannette Toney appreciate the wonderful education they experienced at Kansas State University. As a way to pay forward the opportunities they received as students, the Toneys have created a scholarship for the College of Agriculture.
“I probably wouldn’t have been able to go to school if it hadn’t been for scholarships I earned or was awarded,” John said. “Some it was need based and some was academic based; but it was important for me to go to school. We wanted to be able to provide other students an opportunity like we had to attend K-State and get some assistance along the way.”
John graduated from K-State twice, receiving his animal science bachelor’s degree in 1968 and a master’s in food science in 1970. Jeannette earned her bachelor’s degree in home economics in 1968.
The K-State Family Scholarship Program inspired the Toneys to become major donors for the first time by having their contributions matched with seed funds provided by generous lead K-State donors. New gifts of $30,000 are matched with $30,000 from the seed fund, for a total gift of $60,000. $10,000 goes into an expendable fund, making $2,000 scholarships available to be awarded to students immediately. The remaining $50,000 goes into the endowment, ensuring future generations of Wildcats will receive scholarships as well.
“We’d been thinking about creating a scholarship for a while,” John said. “When we learned about the match program; that was the signal it was time to do something. We are able to use retirement money to fund the scholarship, which helps us with our tax bill and helps K-State and students in need.”
Learn more about how you can take advantage of matching opportunities through the K-State Family Scholarship Program at ksufoundation.org/family, or contact John Morris, senior vice president of development by email or at 785-532-7587.
The K-State Family Scholarship Program supports Innovation and Inspiration: The Campaign for Kansas State University, raising $1.4 billion to advance K-State 2025 goals.
