A $6.4 million grant from the Windgate Foundation to Arkansas State University will establish an endowment for need-based scholarships and also support campus art facilities and initiatives, the university announced Wednesday.
The Little Rock foundation previously gave $6.7 million to ASU for its Windgate Center for Three-Dimensional Arts, a facility set to open this fall that will house art workspaces and classrooms. ASU announced the earlier gift in 2018.
Out of the most recent grant, $3 million will go towards establishing new need-based scholarships -- for students regardless of major -- starting in the upcoming academic year, ASU announced.
"Gifts like this allows A-State to fulfill its mission to change the lives of our students," Chancellor Kelly Damphousse said in a statement. Outreach to students eligible for the scholarships will begin soon, according to ASU's announcement.
The grant includes a $2 million endowment to support the on-campus Bradbury Art Museum, which is in ASU's Fowler Center and houses 5,200 square feet of exhibition space, ASU spokesman Bill Smith said. The money is to be used for operations and programs.
The Windgate grant also includes $30,000 in the form of a matching grant to support what ASU calls its BAM Van, which helps with arts outreach efforts.
"We are excited to bring our programming into the communities and schools of our region. Field trips can be very limited due to funding or even timing for rural school districts. Now, we will be able to bring BAM to them," Garry Holstein, the museum's director, said in a statement.
Another portion of the grant will support ASU's new Windgate Center for Three-Dimensional Arts. The grant includes a $1 million building maintenance endowment for the facility.
"We are very appreciative of the ongoing interest and support we have received from Windgate," Temma Balducci, chairperson of ASU's Department of Art + Design, said in a statement.