Fred & Lena Meijer Scholarship Program Increases Scholarships for Meijer Team Members and Their Children

PRESS RELEASE

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Fred & Lena Meijer Scholarship is increasing its scholarship awards from $2,500 to $3,000 this year, giving Meijer team members and their children an opportunity to put even more money toward their college education.

Applications are being accepted through April 1 for the competitive scholarship, which is held at and administered by Grand Rapids Community Foundation.

“Our dad always believed that continued education and lifelong learning were invaluable,” said Hank Meijer, co-chairman of the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer. “My brothers and I are pleased to continue providing this scholarship opportunity for Meijer team members and their children through the Meijer Foundation.”

The Fred & Lena Meijer Scholarship is a private scholarship fund that was established at the Grand Rapids Community Foundation in 1975 originally for children of Meijer team members. In 2010, the scholarship program was expanded to include Meijer team members themselves and awards were increased from $500 to $1,000. The Meijer Foundation funded the scholarship in 2011 with a significant endowment to the Community Foundation, and the enhanced scholarship in 2012 to $2,500, while also providing two $10,000 scholarships: one each in Fred and Lena Meijer’s names.

Last year, the program awarded $457,500 in scholarships, furthering the education of 177 Meijer team members and their children attending 88 colleges and universities. Of that amount, two recipients were awarded $10,000 scholarships and 175 others received $2,500 scholarships.

The Fred & Lena Meijer Scholarship is administered and awarded by Grand Rapids Community Foundation, and is based on financial need, academics and community involvement. A written essay of aspirations and educational goals is also part of the application process.

“Each year we look forward to helping Meijer team members and their children achieve their academic dreams,” Grand Rapids Community Foundation President Diana Sieger said. “This significant scholarship award is a great asset to any student who is concerned about the cost of college.”

The scholarships are available for use at any accredited college, university, vocational, technical or specialized educational institution nationwide. The number of scholarships awarded each year is determined as a percentage of the total number of applicants as set by the federal government.

To qualify for the scholarships, Meijer team members must have one year of continuous service by the April 1 application deadline, and may be full- or part-time students. Dependents of Meijer team members must be full-time students with a minimum of 12 credit hours.

For more information on the application process and to apply, please visit

http://www.grfoundation.org/meijer

.