Brookline Bank recently announced a new five-year commitment to the Brookline Community Foundation (BCF) Scholarship Fund for Brookline High School. This $50,000 pledge deepens the Bank’s legacy as a major supporter of college-bound Brookline youth with financial need.
Brookline Bank was the first major sponsor of the BCF Scholarship Fund when it launched in 2015. The Bank’s initial gift of $100,000 helped leverage more than $1M in contributions to a special endowment created to ensure reliable funding for Brookline High School graduates for generations to come. Students can use the funds to attend a two- or four-year college or another post-secondary training program.
To date, the fund has awarded 47 graduating seniors with scholarships, helping to close the gap between what families can afford and steeply rising postsecondary costs, an equation that has grown even more challenging during COVID-19.
Brookline Bank President & CEO Darryl Fess expressed strong commitment to the fund, saying, “A lot of people look at Brookline as a very wealthy community, but we realize that’s not true for everyone. Education is really important to us at Brookline Bank, and like to give where it matters: in the communities we serve. If we can support people with fewer means so their children can attain higher education, we’re all in favor.”
A long-term partner to the Foundation, Brookline Bank has contributed more than $284,170 to Foundation initiatives since 2000, with a focus on efforts to address local poverty and to support the education and health development of low-income youth.
BCF Executive Director Giselle Ferro Puigbo shared, “We are deeply grateful for Brookline Bank’s ongoing commitment to our town and to students. Support from local institutions like the Bank allows us to expand access to education and other life-changing resources so that every member of our community has what they need to reach their potential and participate fully in the Brookline we all love.”