MANCHESTER, NH — Hundreds of New Hampshire students are starting classes at colleges across the state and the country assisted by scholarships awarded by the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. Since January 2015, the Foundation has awarded nearly 1,550 scholarships totaling more than $5.24 million to help students pursue post-secondary education.
The Foundation is the state’s largest source of publicly available student aid for New Hampshire students. Through its scholarship programs, the Foundation helps students with the least resources and the most promise attend two- or four-year colleges and universities and vocational schools.
The Foundation has been helping New Hampshire students further their education since its first scholarship fund was established in 1972. Scholarships are awarded from 375 scholarship funds established by generous individuals, families, organizations and businesses. During the last four decades, the Foundation has awarded more than $79 million to nearly 42,000 students.
Foundation scholarships support students like Brandon Bisson of Berlin who is living his dream, studying fire science at Lakes Region Community College while working as a student firefighter in Center Harbor. The scholarship, from the Neil and Louise Tillotson Scholarship Fund, he says, “takes a big financial burden off me.” Brandon hopes to be a full-time New Hampshire firefighter when he graduates. He says, he wants to “have a positive impact on the community.”
Scholarships will also help Felicia Fields of Tilton study Dental Hygiene at New Hampshire Technical Institute (NHTI), Ryan Waldecker of Hooksett pursue a marketing degree at Plymouth State University, Henry Ma of Dover study Information Technology at the University of New Hampshire and Kristine Andrewski of North Sutton get her degree in Biology at St. Anselm College.
“New Hampshire students need more help than ever to afford college,” said Richard Ober, president and CEO of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. “New Hampshire is last in funding to post-secondary education and our students carry the highest debt load in the nation. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we’re able to help students – like Brandon, Felicia, Ryan, Henry and Kristine – get the education they need to reach their potential and to ensure that New Hampshire has the skilled workforce it needs.”
The Foundation monitors and responds to the changing needs of students and the state’s economy. In 2013, amid shifting needs in the workforce, the Foundation made a three-year commitment to increase scholarships to students studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to $500,000 per year. That goal was more than doubled in 2015, with awards totaling more than $1.2 million.
To learn more about the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s scholarship programs, visit www.nhcf.org/students.
Established in 1962, the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation is driven by a vision for a stronger, more just, and resilient Granite State. In pursuit of this vision, the Foundation invests charitable assets for today and tomorrow; connects donors to effective organizations, ideas and people; and leads and collaborates on important public issues. Annually, the Foundation awards nearly more than grants and scholarships totaling $32 million. Based in Concord, the Foundation roots itself in communities across the state through its staff, board of directors, and eight regional advisory boards. For more information, please visitwww.nhcf.org or call 603-225-6641.
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