Representatives from Northwest Education Services (North Ed) and several higher educational institutions came together yesterday to announce the creation of the North Ed Foundation and the new scholarship opportunities colleges and universities have made available to students through the new nonprofit.
Financial resources for emergencies, scholarships to attend higher education and funding for expensive tools and equipment to support student learning or post-graduation employment are some of the needs that will be addressed by the newly established North Ed Foundation.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the North Ed Foundation seeks to address the diverse needs of students served by North Ed, the region’s intermediate school district spanning Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Leelanau counties.
Pat Lamb, North Ed’s assistant superintendent of Career & Technical Education, currently serves as president of the North Ed Foundation Board, which is made up of about a dozen community volunteers.
“Through the North Ed Foundation, we can help those in our school community who truly need it,” Lamb said. “We have many bright, capable students who need support paying for college, and we come across students every year who need help paying for things due to an emergency or family circumstances. It was heartbreaking when we had to turn them away in the past. But now, through the North Ed Foundation, we have a way to help them thrive in school and reach for their dreams after they exit our programs.”
Students who are eligible to apply for funding requests from the foundation must be associated with North Ed’s Career Tech or regional special education programming. Students who receive special education support provided by North Ed at their local school districts are also eligible.
The North Ed Foundation would support these students through three primary methods: • Student Emergency Resource Fund (SERF) to support emergency needs while in school, including – but not limited to – food, clothing, assistive technology devices or basic medical care.
• Tools of the Trade Fund helps students going directly into the workforce.
• Scholarship Fund supports graduates attending post-secondary education.
The North Ed Foundation is not a subsidiary or affiliate of any college or university. However, several higher educational institutions have made new commitments that align with the foundation’s mission to support the financial needs of students connected to North Ed programming and services. Those institutions and their commitments include:
• Central Michigan University: 10 $1,000 annual scholarships, renewable for up to four years. Scholarships are available to students who complete any program at Career Tech.
• Davenport University: Two $1,000 annual scholarships, renewable for up to four years, available to students who complete any program at Career Tech.
• Michigan State University: Five $1,000 annual scholarships available to students enrolled in the Agriscience program at Career Tech, and other programs related to agriculture, and those enrolled in a MSU Institute of Agricultural Technology (IAT) program. Scholarships are renewable for both years of the IAT program.
• Michigan Technological University: $1,000 annual scholarships (renewable for up to four years) for any student completing the Engineering Academy program at Career Tech.
• Northwestern Michigan College: Free tuition for fulltime students from Grand Traverse County and any who are eligible for Pell Grant assistance, regardless of residency in the five-county area.
