KAPPA DELTA FOUNDATION INC

We believe bright, innovative Kappa Delta women will not only shape the future of our sorority, they will shape the future of the world. In these days of rising college costs, the educational opportunities the foundation provides are essential.

Each year, the foundation receives far more scholarship applications than we have available funds to award. Although we awarded more scholarships than ever before for the 2021-2022 academic year, we could only award scholarships to just less than a quarter of the applicants.

That is why we launched Imagine Her Future, an initiative to increase the amount of funding available for need-based, merit and leadership scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students. Scholarships can be a lifeline and are one of the most tangible ways to directly impact the lives of our KD sisters. Reducing their financial burden is crucial to retain our collegiate members and to ensure continued educational opportunities and professional growth for our alumnae members.

During the quiet phase of Imagine Her Future, donor donations and commitments totaled over $1.5 million, helping the foundation reach more than 60% of our final goal. The campaign is led by a dedicated steering committee committed to offering sisters access to opportunities to flourish personally and professionally.

Foundation staff and the steering committee will ensure the foundation reaches our goal by engaging and soliciting donors at a variety of gift levels and communicating the impact of their gifts. The campaign will close in summer 2023, where we will not only celebrate our campaign success, but also commemorate Kappa Delta’s 125th anniversary at our 65th biennial National Convention.

The Kappa Delta Foundation is led by a group of experienced and passionate professionals. Supporting Kappa Delta since 1981, the foundation and the sorority have worked together to make a difference in the lives of Kappa Deltas across the nation.

As early as 1916, KD offered awards through what was known as the Scholarship Loan Fund. This evolved over the years and the foundation took over the scholarship program in the 1980s. The interest and need for these scholarship opportunities has grown through the years.

Last fiscal year, the foundation awarded over $829,000 in scholarships to over 366 recipients. We believe every Kappa Delta who wants to experience all our sisterhood has to offer should be able to do so with confidence - knowing her sisters are here for her, to help her along the way.

The Kappa Delta Foundation continues to adapt to the needs of members. The foundation has increased the number of scholarships offered to Kappa Delta members each year. In May 2020, the foundation participated in Giving Tuesday Now, a global effort to raise money in response to COVID-19, choosing to focus fundraising efforts on scholarships so more could be awarded in Summer 2020. The response was so great, a one-time initiative was created: Emergency Hardship Scholarships for students directly affected by the pandemic. In all, the foundation provided 42 Emergency Hardship Scholarships in the amount of $2,019 each.

After seeing the need displayed by our Emergency Hardship scholarship applicants, the foundation established a new Need-Based Scholarship program, available to students in need of financial support, not limited to those impacted by COVID. The foundation offered 256 need-based undergraduate scholarships, making at least one available for each collegiate chapter for the 2021-2022 academic year.

Increasing the number of scholarships we offer will continue to be a priority. We will partner with the Sorority to ensure Kappa Delta remains strong and ensure a brighter future for all sisters.