Koonce Scholars Raises $250,000 to Match Packers’ Gift

The Dr. George E. Koonce Scholars Program at Marian University has announced it successfully raised $250,000 to match a gift from the Green Bay Packers Foundation. The match means a total of $500,000 will go to the Koonce Scholars Program at Marian, which aims to eliminate barriers to higher education for all students, including those from underserved communities.

The Packers Foundation awarded the $250,000 matching grant to the Koonce Scholars Program in June of 2024 as part of the Foundation’s Impact Grants, which provided $1.7 million to 10 organizations, focusing on a wide variety of community needs. The Packers gave Koonce Scholars a deadline of June 2026, to raise the matching funds, but the goal was reached a year early, thanks to multiple generous donors.

The donation that put the Koonce Scholars over the top was a $100,000 gift from Drexel Building Supply of Campbellsport.

Koonce, who played for the Packers from 1992 – 1999, is now the Senior Vice President for University Relations at Marian University, and established the Koonce Scholars Program two years ago at Marian to help underserved students realize the transformative power of education.