Education Grant Applications Now Open For High School Students

Students in the Itasca area can now apply for the Blandin Foundation Education Grant to fund their education after high school. These need-based grants are available to local students who will graduate, or have graduated, from the following schools: Grand Rapids, Bigfork, Deer River, Hill City, Greenway, Nashwauk-Keewatin, Remer, Blackduck, Northome, Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig, Northern Lights Community School and home-schooled students who would have attended any of these schools.

Blandin Foundation selects recipients who struggle with financial needs, which is calculated by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The Foundation also considers other factors, such as tuition, room and board, books, transportation, family income and miscellaneous expenses.

The Blandin Foundation trustees have set aside $975,000 for the 2020-21 school year and can provide students from anywhere in between $1,000 to $4,500 to go towards their future education.

Kathy Annette, President of the Blandin Foundation, states, “For 63 years we have worked with area students to help achieve their dreams of further education. Achievement of our young people was a great passion of Mr. Blandin’s, as it is for the Foundation still today.”

To be eligible, students must be under the age of 25 and registered as a full-time student at any accredited school in the U.S. Students must also maintain at least a 2.0 GPA and make academic progress towards their desired degree program.