Institute for Higher Education Policy - January 2010
In 1999, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation began an innovative scholarship program that provides full financial support to low-income minority students across the United States. The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) program has already awarded more than 10,000 scholarships to exceptional students, with the ultimate goal of funding at least 20,000 students over the course of the 20-year program. Extensive research conducted on the program examines outcomes for several cohorts of Scholars using comparative data from non-recipients (students who applied but did not receive the scholarship) and national comparison groups of low-income, high-achieving minority students.