RI Foundation announces local students can apply for $1.8 million in college scholarships In addition to statewide scholarship assistance, some aid is exclusively for students from East Providence

Providence, RI – At the time of year when colleges are sending out financial aid packages, the Rhode Island Foundation is offering students and their families more than $1.8 million in scholarships.

Dozens of individual, family and organizational donors established scholarship funds at the Foundation to help students defray educational expenses such as tuition, room and board, fees and books.

“Each one of these scholarships turns dreams into reality for our donors and our recipients,” said Neil Steinberg, the Foundation’s president and CEO. “The impact of their generosity will ripple through community for generations.”

The Foundation expects to help hundreds of students with financial aid. In addition to general scholarship assistance, some funds target specific geographic areas such as East Providence.

The Maria E. Pinheiro Memorial Scholarship, Amaral Family Scholarship Fund and Harriet M. Briggs Memorial Scholarship are among the awards available only to graduates of East Providence High School.

Other funds provide assistance based on area of study, family income or special circumstance. The Willard and Marjorie Scheibe Fund targets nursing majors while the Melvin and Patty Alperin First Generation Scholarship is earmarked for high school seniors whose parents did not graduate from college.

“Nursing is my passion and I am so fortunate that this scholarship will help me financially as I go into my las tyear of nursing school and become that much closer to my goal of being a registered nurse,” said East Providence resident Mary Monagle, a senior nursing major at Villanova University.

A complete list of scholarships, application deadlines and eligibility requirements is posted on the Foundation’s website at www.rifoundation.org.

The Rhode Island Foundation is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. In 2016, the Foundation awarded a record $45 million in grants to organizations addressing the state's most pressing issues and needs of diverse communities. Through leadership, fundraising and grantmaking activities, often in partnership with individuals and organizations, the Foundation is helping Rhode Island reach its true potential. For more information, visit www.ri.foundation.org.