The matching funds were raised a year ahead of the Packers’ June 2026 deadline.

The Dr. George E. Koonce Scholars Program at Marian University has successfully raised $250,000 to match a generous 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 a $250,000 matching grant to the Koonce Scholars Program in June 2024. The grant was part of the Foundation’s Impact Grants, which provided a record $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.  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.  Drexel, founded in 1985 in Campbellsport, has grown from a small lumber yard into a thriving building materials supplier with nine locations across the state.  Building strong relationships with both customers and team members has set Drexel apart as a trusted and innovative partner in the construction industry.

“Drexel’s mission is to ‘Supply Happiness’ and they are well known for their commitment to community and sustainability,” said Dr. George Koonce, founder of the Koonce Scholars, Senior Vice President for University Relations at Marian University, and a former Green Bay Packer. “We are thankful to Drexel, all the other donors, and especially the Green Bay Packers Foundation.  Their support will open a world of opportunities for these deserving students.”

Dr. Koonce, who overcame humble beginnings in North Carolina, established the Koonce Scholars Program two years ago at Marian University, to help underserved students realize the transformative power of education

For more information about the Dr. George E. Koonce Scholars Program, please visit: https://www.marianuniversity.edu/student-life/special-programs/dr-george-e-koonce-scholars-program/

Marian University was founded in 1936 by the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes, a group of pioneering sisters, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The university has a rich tradition of dedication to the education of the whole person and offers a variety of undergraduate, masters and adult learning degrees at its main campus and online.