Extended Deadline for 2010 Scholarship Applications: April 16 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Students Recognized for Creativity and Innovation Milton Fisher Scholarship for Innovation and Creativity Given to 8; Honorable Mention to 16

New Haven, CT (September 30, 2009) - The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, the region’s largest grantmaker and charitable endowment, announces the winners  of the Milton Fisher Scholarship for Innovation and Creativity. A total of $136,000 in college scholarships (payable over four years of college) was awarded this year to 8 high school students who came up with distinctive solutions to problems faced by their schools, communities, or families. In addition, a total of $8000 in scholarships was awarded to 16 high school students receiving honorable mention.

A large number of extraordinary applications were received this year - nearly five times as many as in the past. While each application submitted for consideration highlighted a creative project, scholarships were awarded to the candidates who demonstrated the greatest innovation and whose projects had the most impact in the community. More scholarships and honorable mentions were awarded this year than any previous year.


The winners were recognized for projects involving science, the arts, and social action; all attended public high schools in New York and Connecticut.  The Milton Fisher Scholarship for Innovation and Creativity was established in 2003 at The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven by the Reneé B. Fisher Foundation. This scholarship is not a traditional scholarship focused on rewarding academic achievement.  Its specific goal is to reward and encourage innovative and creative problem solving.  Financial need does not affect the judges’ decision about winning projects, but it does determine the amount of funds the winners of the four-year scholarship receive each year. High school juniors and seniors and college freshmen from Connecticut and the New York metropolitan area are eligible to apply. The application deadline for 2010 is April 16th; applications and a complete set of guidelines can be downloaded at www.rbffoundation.org or by calling The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven at (203) 777-2386.

Milton Fisher, born and educated in New York City, was a Connecticut resident from 1960 until his death in 2001. He was an attorney and an investment banker who also taught a unique course for adults called "Applied Creativity" for over 25 years. His deep interest in the roots of creativity, and the many the exercises he developed to help people become more innovative and creative in their lives, also led him to write the book Intuition: How to Use it in your Life, which has been translated into several languages. Fisher also served on the boards of several public companies and wrote two books about Wall Street.

For more information about The Community Foundation visit www.cfgnh.org.