Guilford in May received a private grant that will fund an online platform to help students find and secure grants and scholarships to ease the burden of college debt.

The Hillsdale Fund, a Greensboro-based foundation that helps tax-exempt organizations carry out their exempt purpose, awarded the College $50,000 to cover the use of the online platform, the Virtual Scholarship Center, for two years.

The Virtual Scholarship Center is an extension of The Scholarship Academy, which helps connect students, counselors and volunteers. Unlike existing financial aid models, the Virtual Scholarship Center creates a space for local and state scholarship providers to search for eligible students in its growing database, giving Guilford students exclusive access to untapped scholarship resources.

The grant was awarded based on work by Mitzi Bond, Executive Coordinator of Advancement and Grants Director, Kyle Wooden ’11, Associate Vice President of Enrollment, and Charlene Bedillion, Director of Financial Aid.

Bond calls the platform “a great tool for students who might be in need of any type of financial aid.” She says the platform and its ability to provide more scholarship opportunities for Guilford students aligns with one of the priorities of Envisioning Guilford 2027, to develop initiatives for additional scholarships and other forms of financial support.