The Board of Directors of the Maine Children’s Scholarship Fund (MCSF) is very pleased to report that they have received an unsolicited, anonymous bequest of $1,200,000.

“This is very exciting start to our 13th year. The income from the bequest will enable us to give twice as many scholarships as last year,” said Program Director, Kari Hunt. “The MCSF awarded 44 scholarships for the 2012-2013 academic year and this bequest will help us to reach our goal.

“We rely on private gifts of any amount to fulfill our mission to bridge the gap in educational opportunity for low-income families.”

The Maine Children’s Scholarship Fund serves the entire State of Maine providing tuition scholarships to low-income families for students in Kindergarten through grade 12 for public school, private school, or home schooling expenses.

The organization provides 75 petition of tuition per child up to $1,400 for families whose income is at or below the Federal guidelines for the Free and Reduced Lunch Program. Families must contribute a minimum of 25 petition of tuition. The goal of the MCSF is for all Maine families to have maximum educational opportunities at all income levels.

The MCSF is devoted to helping families committed to a challenging education for their children. The scholarships support and encourage active participation by parents. Lowering the financial barriers to education options empowers parents to take charge of their children’s education, many for the first time.

The interest in their scholarships is growing. They have received applications from all over Maine, and are asking those interested in sponsoring a scholarship from their area to contact them for more information. “Last year we were able to serve 3 percent of students who applied. We hope one day to give a scholarship to every eager student” according to Hunt.

To learn more about the Maine Children’s Scholarship Fund and how you might volunteer or make a contribution to the organization, visit the MCSF website at www.mecsf.org or call the office at 207-945-6893 to speak to the director.