The BASIC Fund began awarding scholarships in 1998. The idea was to educate the less fortunate, the so-called inner-city children, those who may be locked into an unacceptable situation, a situation, for example, where a school was a long way from home or a school where learning was impossible because of overcrowding, lack of discipline, gangs, drugs, or lack of caring and motivation. What all these situations had in common was a detriment to learning and parents who had to accept these conditions because they could not afford to do anything about them.

The area of education that seemed most logical to support was the elementary school, K through 8th grade. We felt if we could help the children in their earliest years, they were more apt to have a chance of success. For, without an education, many were doomed to a life of crime, drugs, unemployment and a situation not unlike what they had grown up with.

The main qualification for eligibility for a BASIC Fund scholarship is that the families meet the financial guidelines set in the application. Also, the students must be entering any of grades K-8. When granted a scholarship it is necessary for the students to meet all the academic requirements of the private school to which they apply.

The idea was to offer a meaningful scholarship that, in most cases, approached 50% of the tuition, with the parents making up most of the difference. Currently, the scholarship is up to $1,600 per year. We wanted it to be a helping hand, not a hand out. We wanted the families to have a stake in this educational endeavor. They have a stake if they are contributing to the cost of schooling.

For the school year that began in 1998, The BASIC Fund awarded scholarships to 355 students who attended school in San Francisco County. The students attended forty-six different schools. In 1999 we expanded the program to include students attending schools in Marin and San Mateo Counties. In 2001 we expanded the program to include students in Alameda County. For the 2005-2006 school year we expanded our programs to include students attending school in Contra Costa County. Currently, we are supporting over 4,600 students in The Bay Area at 266 different schools.

Since 2001 we have enjoyed matching gifts from Arthur Rock (President of The BASIC Fund) and Children’s Scholarship Fund in New York. Thus, every dollar we receive in contributions becomes $3 in scholarships.