Since 1980, the Northern New York Community Foundation has awarded over $10.4 million in scholarships, over half of that in the last ten years, to students in St. Lawrence, Jefferson and Lewis counties.

Part of the significant increase in scholarship awards in the last decade are attributed to several bequests directed toward education.

“The foundation is marking a significant milestone,” said Foundation Executive Director Rande S. Richardson. “Over the last 30 years, through our scholarship program, over $10 million has been invested in the future of our community. We know that this has positively affected our community in ways that are immeasurable.”

For the 2011-2012 academic year, the Community Foundation has awarded scholarships totaling $682,570 to 303 students, an increase from $673,535 awarded last year to 291 students.

The majority of the awards are in the $2,000 to $5,000 range. The total includes one-year freshman scholarships to 31 students from St. Lawrence County. This year’s recipients include 24 non-traditional students attending programs such as accounting, dental hygiene, nursing, education, and engineering.

The total does not include the added matching funds from colleges that participate in Scholarship America’s Dollars for Scholars Program, to which the foundation belongs. Each year, the Dollars for Scholars matching grants provide from $13,000 to over $25,000 to foundation scholarship recipients. This year’s matching awards total $29,700.

The foundation’s scholarship program includes two designated awards that benefit military students and their families:

The foundation provides scholarships for full-time undergraduate students entering freshman or junior year of college, and non-traditional students at any level of college or technical school. Applications for foundation scholarships are available in February of each year and are due April 1. More information about the scholarship program is available at www.nnycf.org.