Children's Scholarship Fund facts for kids

The Children's Scholarship Fund is a special program in the United States. It helps children from families who don't have a lot of money. The fund gives them scholarships. These scholarships allow kids to go to private schools. More than 25,700 students from Kindergarten to 8th Grade have received these scholarships. The program was started in 1998 by Theodore J. Forstmann and John T. Walton.

How the Scholarship Fund Started

A Big Idea for Education

The founders, Theodore Forstmann and John Walton, first met because they both supported the Washington Scholarship Fund (WSF). This fund began in 1993. It helped low-income families in Washington D.C. get scholarships.

In 1998, over 8,000 families applied to the WSF for help. This showed Ted and John that many poorer families wanted other choices for their children's education. They wanted options beyond the regular public school system.

Taking the Program Nationwide

This strong need in Washington D.C. made Ted and John realize something important. They saw that low-income parents everywhere would like to choose a private or religious school. They would even pay some of the tuition themselves. After the scholarships were given out in D.C., Ted and John thought about making the program available across the country. They wanted to truly open up educational chances for more kids.

On June 9, 1998, Ted, John, and the new staff of the Children's Scholarship Fund (CSF) announced their plan. They did this at the New York Public Library. Then, they traveled across the country. They worked to create partnerships in many big cities and states.

Huge Demand for Scholarships

Once these partnerships were set up, CSF started telling parents about the scholarships. They spread the word through local community groups, churches, and private schools. Soon, scholarship applications began to pour in. The number of applications was much higher than anyone expected. By the deadline on March 31, 1999, parents of over 1.25 million children had applied.

In Newark, New Jersey, an amazing 43% of eligible families applied. In New York, 168,000 applications came in. This was 32% of those who could apply. Other cities also had many applications. These included Los Angeles (26%), Baltimore (38%), St. Louis (32%), and Philadelphia (35%). Parents all over the country sent a clear message. They wanted different education choices for their children. They were willing to pay some money to get it.

On April 21, 1999, the first Children's Scholarship Fund scholarships were given out. About 40,000 children across America received them. Ceremonies were held in New York, Los Angeles, and other CSF cities. In New York, Ted Forstmann explained his goal. He said, "Every child, no matter how much money their parents make, should get a good education." He believed this education would help them have successful lives. It would also help them build strong communities and a healthy democracy.

The Scholarship Fund Today

Continuing Support for Students

Originally, CSF was planned to last for four years. Families were not promised support beyond that time. But it quickly became clear that to truly help children, funding needed to continue through 8th grade. This would give them a strong foundation.

So, after the first four years, CSF talked to its partner programs and donors. They wanted to extend the original scholarships through 8th grade. They also wanted younger brothers and sisters to get scholarships too. Most partner programs agreed to this. They not only extended the old scholarships but also gave out brand new ones.

CSF's Impact and Reach

Today, many CSF partner programs continue to offer new scholarships every year. The CSF national office is in New York City. It manages over 8,000 scholarships there. It also provides matching funds and support for partner programs across the country.

Since it started, CSF has given out $654 million in scholarships. This has helped 152,000 children who needed it. In the 2012-2013 school year, over 25,700 children used CSF scholarships. They attended private schools through 30 partner programs nationwide. Of the students who receive CSF scholarships, 92 percent finish high school on time. Also, 90 percent go on to enroll in college.