Senator George J Mitchell Scholarship Research Institute

For nearly 30 years, the Mitchell Institute has been dedicated to advancing Senator George J. Mitchell's mission to increase the likelihood that young people from every community in Maine will aspire to, pursue, and achieve a college education. We work with young people statewide who face uphill battles on their way to college, and we level the playing field for them by providing financial resources and a broad range of supports. Each year, the Institute selects at least one graduating senior from every public high school in Maine. In 2023, we awarded 166 graduating seniors a $10,000 scholarship each. Scholarship selection is based on academic excellence, community leadership, and financial need.(Continued on Schedule O)The 166 scholarships awarded in 2023 was 20 more than the previous year. In addition to the $10,000 scholarship, the Institute provides support including personal and professional development programming, opportunities for additional funding for internships and study abroad, and access to a network that provides lasting relationships and career advice. Since our founding in 1995, the Mitchell Institute has awarded more than $25 million in scholarship, fellowship, and contingency funds to more than 3,600 Scholars and Alumni who hail from every community in Maine. Our data shows that the more we engage with Mitchell Scholars, the more likely they are to graduate: 88% of Mitchell Scholars complete college and achieve a degree, compared with 58% of students nationally. 89% of Mitchell Scholar Alumni are working in career-related jobs-nearly two-thirds of them in Maine. While 44% of recent Mitchell Scholars were the first in their families to attend college and 80% came from households earning less than Maine's median family income, over 50% achieved earnings early in their careers that were higher than their entire family household income at the time they applied for the Mitchell Scholarship.