Impact
Our mission
Making college affordable for high-achieving, under-resourced students and empowering a generation of debt-free, career-ready college graduates in South Carolina
The challenges
Too many high-achieving, under-resourced students cannot afford college.
In South Carolina, high-achieving students with demonstrated financial need who maximize state scholarships and federal aid still owe nearly $10,000 annually for college expenses such as tuition, housing, food and fees.
Student loan debt is especially burdensome for under-resourced students.
South Carolina has one of the highest rates of adult residents with student loan debt, placing significant financial strain and limiting economic mobility across the state.
About the Scholarship
The Meeting Street Scholarship Fund is a privately funded program that gives high-achieving, under-resourced students the opportunity to go to college without taking on significant student loans.
It does more than expand access to higher education; it empowers students with the opportunity to build lives driven by achievements and dreams rather than debt.
The Scholarship also provides community and support, guiding students through the financial aid process, equipping them to thrive on campus and ultimately preparing them to land a job in the field of their choice.
By the numbers
$62 Million
in committed scholarships
1,568 Recipients
88%
of recipients are in college or have graduated
84%
of recipients stay in South Carolina after graduating college
48%
are first-generation college students
48%
enrolled in a STEM major
Our history
The impetus for the Scholarship can be traced back to Meeting Street Schools, which were founded by Ben and Kelly Navarro in 2008 to empower children with the life-changing education they deserve.
As students grew, the Navarros became increasingly concerned about the college affordability crisis, not only for alumni of Meeting Street Schools but all South Carolina students.
They founded the Meeting Street Scholarship in 2021 as a program of the Beemok Family Foundation and made it available to any public high school graduate in Charleston County.
With the support of visionary donors such as Darla Moore and Susu and George Dean Johnson, Jr., the Scholarship has expanded to 14 counties across South Carolina and helped make college possible for more than 1,500 students.
Our Donors
Ben & Kelly Navarro
Darla Moore
Susu & George Dean Johnson, Jr.
Doug Buckminster
Jessica & Todd Aaron
Dave Proctor
Make college affordable
Be a part of creating college access opportunities for high-achieving, under-resourced students.
Make a donation
Beemok Education Impact Report
This impressive collection of stories and outcomes offers a glimpse at how Beemok Education, which includes Meeting Street Schools, the Meeting Street Scholarship Fund and the Excellence in Teaching Awards, are creating opportunities and changing lives.
