About
BeneFund is a 501(c)(3) non-profit created to help improve student access to higher education and career opportunity by removing financial and cognitive barriers to success. We pursue this mission by providing student scholarships and support for programs aimed at college and career readiness.
We believe that a student's ability to achieve their dreams should not be limited by their current environment or finances.
Mission & Vision
We believe that a student's ability to achieve their dreams should not be limited by their current environment or finances. We also recognize that some students are discouraged by mental roadblocks, socioeconomic challenges, or just not knowing where to begin or what to do next.
Our mission is to help students unlock education and career opportunities by removing financial and cognitive barriers to success. Currently, we do this through the Benjamin E. Gordon Memorial Scholarship and the Justice League for Opportunity Fund.
Our future vision is to expand beyond financial support to also provide a tool box of resources including workshops, mentorship, career days, and connection to mental health resources to help students navigate their education and career journeys. While our efforts today focus on students and schools in Georgia, we envision scaling our impact more broadly in the future.
We are excited and grateful to be able to make an impact and believe that with the help of community donors and supporters, we can cultivate a generation of more informed, supported, and empowered students.
The Start
Words from the Founder
BeneFund started as a single grant, the Benjamin E. Gordon Memorial Scholarship. In conjunction with my 25th birthday in 2014, I began raising money to fund an annual scholarship to a graduating senior from my high school and in memory of my dad who’d passed away a few years earlier.
My dad was an amazing man – hard-working, honest, and laser-focused on providing the best life that he could for our family. He was my personal cheerleader when I needed support, my biggest advocate when I doubted my own abilities, and a sounding board for me to bounce off my crazy ideas.
He died a month into my 3rd year of college from a ruptured brain aneurysm, but the hopes and dreams he had for me did not.
I went on to earn an undergraduate degree in Marketing and spent 6+ years in Sales. I learned so much about business, the world, and myself in those years, which only intensified my curiosity. Consequently, I decided to pursue a full-time MBA to allow myself the time and space to build new skills, meet new people, and explore the world. Now, I help clients optimize their digital marketing strategies at an online media company.
I credit some of my life's most meaningful experiences to the educational opportunities I've had throughout my life. I thank God for parents who prioritized education and for people who have supported my journey thus far. Now, through BeneFund, I hope to help others reach their own goals, discover unknown opportunities, and live out their dreams.
The Team
Client Manager, Facebook
Brittney Gordon
Retired, Valdosta City Schools
Cathy Gordon
Program Manager, Paxen Learning
Justin Leggett
Senior Art Director, Capitol One