A new Greek Orthodox scholarship fund has drawn more than $500,000 in gifts and pledges to support seminarians and students. Metropolitan Athenagoras announced the figure at his November 7 enthronement in Tenafly, New Jersey.
Named in honor of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the fund will use investment income to provide scholarships. The money donated to establish the fund will stay invested, allowing it to support future students as well.
How the Scholarship Fund Will Support Students
The Greek Orthodox scholarship fund is structured as an endowment. That means it can use income from its investments to help pay for scholarships while preserving the money donors contributed to establish it.
The total announced by Athenagoras includes gifts already made and pledges of future support. The amount available for scholarships will depend on the income the fund generates.
The fund will support seminarians and students. For those preparing for ministry, it ties educational support to a longer-term effort to serve Greek Orthodox parishes.
Athenagoras Outlines Priorities for 55 Parishes
Athenagoras presented the fund as part of his vision for a metropolis that serves 55 parishes across five states. His enthronement in Tenafly marked the start of his leadership of that parish network.
The scholarship announcement gave the education portion of his address a concrete funding commitment. By setting up the fund as an endowment, the metropolis can draw on the initial contributions to support students over multiple years.
