Lerner Foundation Giving $4.8M to Boost Rural School Success

Eight community organizations, each partnered with a local school district, will each receive a 6-year $600,000 grant as part of a larger effort to spur the post-secondary educational aspirations of rural middle- and high-school students, the Lerner Foundation announced Monday.

“Too many young people in rural Maine are missing out on opportunities to reach their full potential as future citizens and leaders in our state,” Eliot Cutler, president of the Lerner Foundation and chair of its board of directors, said.

The partnerships represent 39 towns and cities in Maine, with most having a population of less than 2,000 residents.

The $4.8 million in grants are part of the foundation’s new $7 million “Aspirations Incubator” that will include an institute for developing youth leadership skills.