Click to check your address and see if you could be eligible!
Click to check your address and see if you could be eligible!
Helping Graduates Achieve Their Dreams
It started with one altruistic and forward-thinking person and continues with the support of our community and beyond. The Buchanan Promise opens the door to a brighter Buchanan by investing in our local students today.
In 2016, the Michigan Gateway Community Foundation was named the beneficiary of a very generous multi-million dollar bequest to support a new scholarship program for Buchanan Community School students in Buchanan, Michigan.
Modeled after the Kalamazoo Promise concept, this scholarship is available to graduating students who reside inside the BCS district boundary. Students must be enrolled in at least 9th – 12th grade to be eligible. The goals of the Buchanan Promise are to promote post-secondary education, cultivate economic development, and create a more vibrant caring community.
Your Scholarship
Every Buchanan Promise Scholar embarks on their own unique journey, and our dedicated team is here to support them every step of the way. Learn more about applying for and renewing the Buchanan Promise Scholarship by clicking the link below.
Your Promise
To be eligible for the Buchanan Promise, students need to live in the Buchanan Community School (BCS) district and attend BCS schools for at least all of high school and graduate from Buchanan High School.
For Eligible students, the Promise covers the cost of attendance (COA) at post-secondary institutions across the country, including colleges & universities, to trade schools & vocational programs, as well as certificates.
See if your address is eligible here! —————>
650+
Students Funded
83+
Schools Attended
Million in Scholarships Awarded
$2.1+
Your Opportunity
Every Buchanan Promise Scholar has their own journey, with challenges and opportunities. Our team is here to support them along the way. Students interested in pursuing trades/vocational programs, certificates, or licenses can check out our easy appeal process at the link below.
Kickstart to Career
Kickstart to Career helps cover costs for further education. Managed by the Michigan Gateway Community Foundation with support from Honor Credit Union and Buchanan Community Schools, it offers every kindergarten student in the Buchanan Community School District a $50 account at Honor Credit Union, funded by the Michigan Gateway Community Foundation.
How it all began: Wally’s Story
Walter E. Schirmer, Sr. was President of Clark Equipment, headquartered in Buchanan, starting in 1963. He was one of the four founders of the Michigan Gateway Community Foundation in 1978, where he established two permanent endowment funds, the Walter E. Schirmer Memorial Scholarship, and the Walter E. Schirmer Fund for the Buchanan Library. He had a deep love and concern for his community, rooted in traditional values. He was devoted to serving Buchanan and encouraged his Clark employees to do so.
His legacy was not lost on his son, Walt, Jr. Wally, as he was known, established his own fund in 1994 with the Michigan Gateway Community Foundation, through which many community organizations and projects have received support. In October 2015, he discussed his estate plan with the Foundation from which, over the last months of his life, emerged the concept of a new and exciting idea called a promise scholarship.
Promise programs seek to transform communities by making a long-term investment in education through place-based based scholarships. They work to expand access to and ensure success in higher education, deepen the college-going culture in both the K-12 system and the community as a whole, and support local community economic development.
Walter E. Schirmer, Jr enthusiastically endorsed this concept for the Buchanan community, his hometown. His permanently endowed gift to Michigan Gateway Community Foundation will significantly impact future generations in Buchanan, continuing the legacy established by his father years ago.
Mission
Help Buchanan graduates achieve their dreams by supporting post-secondary success.
Vision
Enrich Buchanan to be a community of choice to live and educate one's children.