During the 2016-17 school year the Friends of Portland Adult Education awarded 113 scholarships to PAE students so that they could register and receive materials for 174 PAE courses. The total amount was $20,388. The bulk of these FPAE resources were available through a generous grant from the Evergreen Foundation. Additional resources were received from Key Bank, Betterment Foundation, Portland English as a Second Language Scholarship Fund, and individual donors.
Most of these dedicated students are asylum seekers who do not have access to any state or local assistance. Very often their participation in the courses introduces them to practices and procedures unique to American work places as well as the English vocabulary specific to the work sectors.
All students with prior good attendance are eligible for scholarships. The dollar amount is limited to $300 a semester which allows some students to take 2-3 courses. There are no registration fees for students enrolled in PAE’s High School Diploma or College Transition courses.