The Bridge Fund

Stonehill College created The Bridge Fund to assist hardworking Stonehill students with great financial need—providing a quick turnaround for our students when their family faces unexpected financial hardships.

Support the Bridge Fund
Graduates on Donahue Hill
The Bridge Fund helps students persist to graduation.

At Stonehill College, we are committed to ensuring that we help make our world-class education accessible and affordable to every student. We understand that being able to stay at Stonehill can be an uphill battle for some students.

Stonehill created the Bridge Fund in 2016 to provide financial support to students facing an unexpected financial set back that leaves them in danger of not being able to complete their college education.

Administered through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, the Bridge Fund enables a quick turnaround for funding requests from qualified students whose families are facing inordinate financial hardship.

I would like to thank the donor(s) for the Bridge Fund. Words cannot adequately convey how much your support has meant to me during such a challenging time. When I desperately searched for a way to cover my bills, your generosity helped, preventing me from dropping out in my junior year. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you for providing this opportunity. Your support has truly made a significant impact on my life.

The Bridge Fund in Action

Since the 2019-2020 academic year, we have seen a significant increase in the number of students requesting support through the Bridge Fund - particularly as our students and their families continue to deal with the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic.

  • Academic Year 2016-2017: 9 students received $21,612 in Bridge Fund awards.
  • Academic Year 2017-2018: 8 students received $20,821 in Bridge Fund awards.
  • Academic Year 2018-2019: 5 students received $11,768 in Bridge Fund awards.
  • Academic Year 2019-2020: 17 students received $46,304 in Bridge Fund awards. 
  • Academic Year 2020-2021: 17 students received $49,066 in Bridge Fund awards.
  • Academic Year 2021-2022: 32 students received $62,149 in Bridge Fund awards.
  • Academic Year 2022-2023: 26 students received $87,577 in Bridge Fund awards.

Your support of the Bridge Fund will continue to provide funding to deserving Stonehill students.

Bridge Fund Recipient

Juan Lopez, a proud Stonehill graduate of 2018, talked about the importance of the Bridge Fund in a 2017 article in the Boston Globe saying,

“If it wasn’t for [the Bridge Fund], I probably would [have been] out of here by the end of my freshman year. I would be working at a factory or a landscaping job, going to community college and hoping to transfer my credit.”

Instead, Juan graduated cum laude in 2018 and was offered a job in his home city of Chicago as an Advisor at Nuveen. Students like Juan, who have benefitted from the Bridge Fund, received support for expenses ranging from health insurance coverage to meal fund assistance to funds for required textbooks—areas of significant financial burden that can cause a student to withdraw.

I'm happy to support the Bridge Fund. I know what it's like to not know if tuition is going to be paid... you feel helpless. Hope this helps a Stonehill family.

Bridge Fund Support

Student Expenses

In Academic Year 2022-2023, 26 students received $87,577 in Bridge Fund awards. These costs can become a significant financial factor in continuing a college education. The Bridge Fund allows students to focus less on financial limitations and concentrate on their education—academic courses, mentorship, opportunities for internships and/or studying abroad in their college experience.

$31,455
Unexpected/Emergency Educational Assistance

Supporting books, unanticipated fees, cost of education in emergency situations such as job loss, injury or illness

$56,122
Health Insurance

Funding covered the cost of Mandatory Student Health Insurance for students with financial need who are not covered on parent plans or who lose health insurance coverage during the school year

Bridge Fund Impact

2017-2018 Academic Year Recipient

"As a first generation student of immigrant parents, paying for college is not a feasible task and had it not been for the Bridge Fund, I would not have been able to come back to Stonehill for my Junior year. It means a lot to me, and my parents that I was selected to receive the Bridge Fund, I wish you could have seen their faces when I told them the news because they were overwhelmed with joy learning that I would be continuing my studies at Stonehill. That is why receiving this scholarship has meant a great deal to me and I will always be thankful for it.

Coming from humble backgrounds, and being able to pursue a higher education has been a privilege I will never take for granted. Receiving this scholarship is a gift and a privilege that I will never forget."

2020-2021 Academic Year Recipient

“Thank you so much for the help paying for my class fees!”

2021-2022 Academic Year Recipient

This support means so much to me it is difficult to even put into words. I have been through a lot these past two years, and at one point almost left Stonehill. [The Bridge Fund] has allowed me to stay in school and pursue my degree.

2022-2023 Academic Year Recipient

I was awarded the Bridge Fund which covered my health insurance expenses. I am so grateful. With the Bridge Fund, I am able to attend this school where I have met some of my best friends and have pursued my love of environmental science. Many thanks to the donors of this Fund, I am eternally thankful and so appreciative.

2022-2023 Academic Year Recipient

I can never truly express how helpful the Bridge Fund is to me, but I will always be grateful for your help. Thanks to your award, I was able to pay for my study abroad expenses.

2022-2023 Academic Year Recipient

The award came as a blessing, alleviating financial strain and providing much-needed relief. I was able to concentrate on my academic pursuits, engage in extracurricular activities and make the most of the valuable opportunities that Stonehill College offers.

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Your gift to the Bridge Fund makes a difference, thank you!

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