Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College receives $4.2 million from Robert and Mary Tincher Charitable Foundation

Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College has received a historic $4.2 million gift from the Robert and Mary Tincher Charitable Foundation. It is the largest gift from a single family the college has ever received, and it will go toward funding student scholarships. The Robert and Mary Tincher Charitable Foundation is undergoing a planned dissolution at the end of September 2026, and distributed its final gifts, a total of $18,805,375.32, on August 28, 2026. 

According to an article on Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College’s website, Chancellor Michelle Trawick was quoted as saying of the gift, “SKYCTC is working hard to make higher education accessible to learners of all backgrounds in our community. This gift means even more students from Bowling Green and Warren County will be able to pursue their education without taking on debt, setting themselves and our region up for greater success.”

The $4.2 million gifted to the SKYCTC Foundation will be placed in an endowment that will provide scholarships to Bowling Green and Warren County high schools who are planning to pursue technical education and those who are planning to attend Western Kentucky University after attending SKYCTC. The endowment is expected to continue growing, providing student scholarships in perpetuity.

The Robert and Mary Tincher Charitable Foundation has given Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College a total of $7,553,343 over the years, with that funding providing scholarship to almost 1,000 students.

Heather Rogers, who serves as the Executive Director of the SKYCTC Foundation, said, “There are not enough words to express how appreciative and grateful we are. This will benefit so many students through scholarships and help them reach their dreams. An endowment is really transformational because it allows us to provide scholarships in perpetuity.”

The Robert and Mary Tincher Charitable Foundation was established in 2009 by Mary Tincher following Robert Tincher’s death. Robert was the founder of Monarch Environmental and the wealth he had accumulated became the gifts the Foundation distributed throughout the community. 

Joe Bill Campbell, who serves as the secretary, director, and general counsel for the Foundation, said, “We knew the Tinchers. We knew what they wanted to do with their wealth that they accumulated. They had no children, and so we wanted to make sure that we were carrying out their wishes.”

The Foundation is expected to officially dissolve by September 30, 2026. During the Foundation’s existence, it distributed more than $31 million in gifts. Its final round of gifting, which totalled $18,805,375.32, gave $4.2 million to Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College, with the rest of the total being distributed to The College Heights Foundation at Western Kentucky University, The Bowling Green Boys & Girls Club, The Salvation Army, and The Med Center Health Foundation.

Lawrence White, chairman of the Robert and Mary Tincher Charitable Foundation, said, “I feel good today because I know that they would be very happy to see what this foundation has been able to achieve with the gifts that we’ve been able to give in their names.”

For more information about Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College, visit the school’s website.