Alamo Colleges District on July 28 announced a $3 million pledge from a San Antonio philanthropic organization, with funds being used to support scholarships for local nursing students.
What is happening
The three-year, $1 million annual investment from the Kate Marmion Charitable Foundation will support up to 334 nursing students across the Alamo Colleges District, according to a press release.
Starting this fall semester, scholarships will be awarded through the Alamo Colleges Foundation to full- and part-time students pursuing an associate’s degree in nursing, and students pursuing a bachelor of science in nursing at San Antonio College.
Priority will be given to students who have the greatest needs, are Pell-eligible, first-generation or parenting, and have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher, the release stated.
Scholarship funding will be paired with the ACD wraparound support services available to students, including emergency aid, food assistance, childcare access, and career preparation.
What they are saying
Calling nursing a vital profession, foundation President Dolph Briscoe IV said his organization’s mission has been to serve South Texans. The foundation backs especially individuals and groups working in health care or agricultural practices, as well as children with special educational needs, and people preserving Southwestern American history, culture, art, and literature.
Janey Briscoe Marmion established the foundation in 2008 in memory of her late daughter, Janey Katherine “Kate” Marmion, and her own father, late Texas Gov. Dolph Briscoe Jr.
“The Kate Marmion Charitable Foundation is honored to support the Alamo Colleges District in its wonderful effort to educate nursing students,” Dolph Briscoe IV said in a statement. “Our partnership with Alamo Colleges provides an amazing opportunity to continue these hopes, and we are thrilled to help these students.”
The Kate Marmion Charitable Foundation contributed $300,000 in 2025 to ACD’s AlamoPROMISE, helping to support 207 recent local high school graduates in their pursuits of higher education across the district.
ACD Chancellor Mike Flores said the foundation’s latest pledge will benefit the district, which strives to help keep the talent pipeline supplied with prepared nursing professionals.
The Texas Department of State Health Services projects that the state may face a shortfall of 50,000-plus registered nurses by 2036. ACD has more than 1,600 nursing students at four campuses, the release stated.
“The Kate Marmion Charitable Foundation is removing barriers for hundreds of nursing students, helping accelerate their path into one of our region’s most in-demand careers,” Flores said in a statement.
“We are so grateful for this transformative contribution to Alamo Colleges Foundation that directly supports San Antonio’s healthcare workforce, strengthens the talent pipeline for students and employers, and helps ensure more families have access to the skilled care they need.”
