The University of Florida has announced a five-year, $1 million challenge grant from the Johnson Scholarship Foundation to bolster the endowment for the Florida Opportunity Scholars program.

The foundation will contribute $200,000 in four-to-one challenge grants for each year the university raises $800,000, with the goal of generating a total of $5 million for the endowment.

Created in 2005, the scholarship program currently supports about fourteen hundred first-generation college students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, with scholarships averaging about $6,000 per student per year to cover tuition, books, fees, and living expenses. The program's need for scholarship support will increase to $12 million for the 2012-13 academic year, due in part to reductions in federal Pell Grant and Bright Futures Scholarship funding.

"The Florida Opportunity [Scholars] program provides financial support to students who might otherwise not be able to afford a university education," said Malcolm Macleod, president and CEO of the Johnson Scholarship Foundation. "It gives these students the opportunity to acquire the skills and knowledge for a successful career and life."