July 2, 2020 – The Michaels Organization Educational Foundation has awarded more than $1.2 million in college scholarships for the 2020/2021 academic year. All scholarships benefit residents of affordable and military living communities owned or managed by The Michaels Organization, a national leader in residential real estate and the largest privately held owner of affordable housing in the country.
The total dollar amount of scholarships awarded — $1,259,000 — represents a record high for the Foundation, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary year of providing educational grants to Michaels’ residents. Earlier this year, the Foundation announced a deadline extension as well as changes to the submission process to help ensure residents could successfully apply, despite the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“At Michaels, our mission is to create communities that lift lives,” said Michaels’ Chief Executive Officer John J. O’Donnell. “We believe that mission mandates an investment in our residents, and there is no better investment we can make than in someone’s education.”
Among the 273 Michaels Scholars who were awarded grants ranging from $2,000 to $10,000 each are students involved with a wide range of majors, and who will be attending various community colleges and universities across the country as well as some who will participate in vocational training programs. Four senior residents interested in pursuing continuing education classes were also awarded grants of $500 each.
Many of the 2020 Michaels Scholars are recipients of the Foundation’s scholarships in the past, as all residents are invited and encouraged to apply for grants for every year of their undergraduate education.
All Foundation funds are raised through voluntary contributions by companies and private individuals throughout The Michaels Organization’s business network. All donations are then matched $2 for every $1 dollar by The Michaels Organization’s Founder and Chairman, Michael J. Levitt, and his wife Pat Levitt.
Michael Levitt created the non-profit Educational Foundation in 1991, when it was the first program of its kind offering college scholarships to residents of affordable housing. Since then the program has expanded to include the families and children of service members who live in private, on-post military housing communities owned or managed by Michaels, as well as college students who live in Michaels’ student living communities, both on- and off-campus. The scholarship applications for student living community residents will be offered later this fall.
