Gates Foundation Pledges $122-Million for D.C. Students
March 22, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced it will provide needy high school students in Washington with $122-million in college scholarships over the next 15 years, reports The Washington Post.
The grant is one of the largest the foundation has made to improve access to education.
The effort, known as the D.C. Achievers program, will begin immediately, as 175 juniors at six local high schools will receive application information over the next few weeks. Over all, D.C. Achievers will grant 2,000 students up to $10,000 each year for five years.
By 2014, the program aims to triple the rate of Washington students who complete college. Currently just 5 percent of students in some parts of the city obtain a college degree.
Two Washington nonprofit groups will run the scholarship program. The D.C. College Success Foundation will receive the majority of the money, $112-million, while the D.C. College Access Program will handle most of the administration.
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