November 6, 2014

Dear Ms. Huitt:

I write as a former New York Schools Chancellor to appeal for your help. Recently, I took over as head of the largest scholarship foundation in America; the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation has been in existence for 15 years and is dedicated to providing scholarships to low- and moderate-income, exceptional students. We seek to provide these high-performing students with one of the most generous scholarships available. I ask that you alert your eligible seniors to this unique opportunity.

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation College Scholarship Program nurtures students from across the country who have demonstrated they have the potential to excel. As part of the scholarship, recipients will receive up to $40,000 per year for tuition, living expenses, books, and other required fees in order that they may attend an accredited four-year undergraduate college or university. In addition to financial support, our scholarship award winners have access to an on-staff adviser who helps them to enter and succeed in college, are able to apply for internship support during the summers, and are given access to an extraordinary community of Jack Kent Cooke Scholars around the world.

Applicants should be seniors in high school, planning to enroll in a four-year college next year and have excellent grades and test scores. Applicants must also demonstrate unmet financial need. We will consider applicants with family income up to $95,000; however, we anticipate that a majority of scholarship recipients will be eligible to receive a Pell grant.

Please encourage your exceptionally talented students to visit our site to learn more about the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation College Scholarship Program and access the application. The application will close December 3, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time, so students need to act now.

I would greatly appreciate any help you can provide.

Finally, you will be receiving a “Save the Date” for the first ever national convening of selective public high school principals in February, titled, “Closing the Excellence Gap: Nurturing Talent of High-Achieving, Low-Income High School Students,” which will be sponsored by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation and held in the Washington, D.C. area. I hope you will be able to attend.

Kindest regards,

Harold O. Levy

Executive Director