The Island Institute offers three types of scholarships including a new Island Partners Scholarship, the Traditional Island Institute Scholarship and the non-traditional student McLane Scholarship.
Thanks to the support of private donors and memberships, the Institute is able to offer a variety of scholarships to residents of Maine’s 14 unbridged islands.
The new Island Partners Scholarship will provide one graduating senior from an island community with $5,000 toward his or her first year of college. This scholarship seeks to find the individual who combines civic leadership with academic achievement.
Island Institute Traditional Scholarships are available to island residents who are attending post-secondary education at a two- or four-year college, university, or vocational/technical institution. Award decisions will be based on academic achievement, employment and extra-curricular activities, the Personal Statement, and special circumstances. Awards range from $500 to $2,000 each year. Students can apply for this scholarship each year that they are in school. Those who have already received Island Institute Traditional Scholarships need to reapply each year if they need funding for the next school year. Last year the Institute awarded over $35,000 to 60 students.
The McLane Non-Traditional Scholarship, which is a memorial to Carol Evarts McLane, is for island residents who would like to broaden their educational opportunities. Scholarship recipients must show how their project will benefit not only themselves, but also the larger island community. Projects can include adult education, training programs, distance learning, conferences and other types of professional development. In addition, this scholarship provides assistance to families facing the added expense of sending children off-island to high school. Applicants cannot be full time students. The McLane scholarships are awarded on a quarterly basis, but can only be awarded once per year to an individual.
Applications for all of these scholarships are available on the Island Institute website at www.islandinstitute.org. For further information please call Ruth Kermish-Allen, Education Outreach Officer, at 207-594-9209 ext. 117 or email rallen@islandinstitute.org.