Mitchell Institute
Encyclopedia
The Mitchell Institute is a 501(c) non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

 in Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...

 which has as its mission to increase the likelihood that young people from Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

 will aspire to, pursue and achieve a college education.

The Institute was founded by George J. Mitchell
George J. Mitchell
George John Mitchell, Jr., is the former U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Peace under the Obama administration. A Democrat, Mitchell was a United States Senator who served as the Senate Majority Leader from 1989 to 1995...

 and is supported by donors throughout Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

. The Institute features a quotation from George J. Mitchell
George J. Mitchell
George John Mitchell, Jr., is the former U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Peace under the Obama administration. A Democrat, Mitchell was a United States Senator who served as the Senate Majority Leader from 1989 to 1995...

 that "no one should be guaranteed success ... but everyone should have a fair chance to succeed."

Scholarships for residents of Maine

Each year "Mitchell Scholars" are awarded annual scholarships on the basis of academic potential, community service, and financial need. Recipients must be residents of Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

 who will be entering their first year of an accredited college or university. Beginning in 2006 the scholarship award is $1,250 a year for up to four years. In addition the Institute also grants "Pioneer Scholarship Awards".

The scholarships are not to be confused with the Mitchell Scholarship
Mitchell Scholarship
The George J. Mitchell Scholarship is a scholarship given annually by the US-Ireland Alliance to twelve Americans aged 18-30 to fund one year of graduate study in Ireland. Unlike in the United Kingdom or in the United States, one year is usually enough to complete an Irish master's degree...

s granted by the US-Ireland Alliance.

Great Maine Schools Project

The Institute also operates the Great Maine Schools Project, a statewide high school reform initiative. It is funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest transparently operated private foundation in the world, founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. It is "driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family"...

.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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