The Bristol Community College Foundation is pleased to announce a $120,000 gift from the Neto Foundation. $100,000 of the gift will be used to establish an endowed scholarship in the Neto Foundation’s name that will support students who wish to pursue an education at the college. $20,000 from the gift will also be used to supplement the funding for the José Francisco Costa Endowed Scholarship, which was established in honor of Professor José Costa, the founder of LusoCentro, the college's academic center dedicated to the study of the language and culture of Portuguese-speaking communities.
This generous gift was presented to Bristol’s President, Laura L. Douglas, Ph.D. and Chief Development Officer, Judi Urquhart during a ceremony on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, at the college’s Fall River Campus. In attendance from the Neto Foundation were Manuel Fernando Neto, Mrs. Helen Neto, Rosemary Neto Hazzard, Fernando Neto, Jenna Neto Noudjam, Chloe Neto and President of the Bristol Community College Foundation Board of Directors Frank B. Sousa III.
Manuel Fernando Neto founded the Neto Insurance Agency, established in 1973 and is a former New Bedford City Councilor.
According to Mr. Neto, “I was so grateful to have earned my education here in the United States after immigrating here as a teenager. Education has helped pave a path to success and now, through this scholarship, it is my way of paying it forward.”
For more information, please visit www.bristolcc.edu/scholarships or email bccfoundation@bristolcc.edu.