Distributed December 5, 2002
For Immediate Release

News Service Contact: Mary Jo Curtis



Media Advisory

Scholarship organization founder donates papers to Brown library

Dr. Irving A. Fradkin, founder of Citizens’ Scholarship Foundation of America, will donate to the Brown University libraries his collection of papers, tapes and other artifacts documenting the founding and growth of the organization. The papers, which will be housed at the John Hay Library, will be donated during a ceremony at Fradkin’s home in Fall River, Mass. on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2002, at noon.


PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Dr. Irving A. Fradkin, founder of Citizens’ Scholarship Foundation of America (CSFA), will donate to the Brown University libraries a collection of papers and artifacts that document the establishment and growth of the organization. CSFA is the largest private sector scholarship and educational support organization in the nation.

Fradkin’s papers, tapes and other artifacts from CSFA and its Dollars for Scholars program will be housed in the John Hay Library at the University. Brown will receive the donation during a ceremony at Fradkin’s home.

  • When: Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2002, at 12 p.m.
  • Where: 624 Florence Street, Fall River, Ma.

CSFA carries out its mission of expanding access to educational opportunities and encouraging academic achievement through its Dollars for Scholars®, Scholarship Management Services™, and ScholarShop® programs. Fradkin founded the initial Dollars for Scholars chapter in Fall River in 1958; the very first dollar donated to the program came from Eleanor Roosevelt. Since that 1958 founding, CSFA has distributed more than $911 million to nearly 850,000 students, and there are now more than 1,100 chapters of Dollars for Scholars in 38 states and the District of Columbia. CSFA is headquartered in Minneapolis and St. Peter, Minn.

“This collection provides a very good snapshot of the history of a significant organization and the history of financial aid, philanthropy and education,” said Samuel Streit, associate librarian for special collections at Brown. “It’s also a snapshot of what one individual, a passionate philanthropist who believes strongly in the value of education, can do as a volunteer.”

“I have donated my papers to the Brown University libraries because I want to see scholarship programs continue to grow and prosper,” said Fradkin. “CSFA has increased the numbers of children who stay in school and go on to higher education. The program offers these children hope and support to build a better America through education. It is my hope that scholars will use these materials in their research about education.”

For the last six years, SmartMoney, the Wall Street Journal’s magazine of personal finance, has ranked CSFA as one of the 17 most efficient nonprofits in the country. Worth Magazine has also named CSFA as one of America’s 100 best charities for 2001/2002. In partnership with the Indianapolis-based Lumina Foundation for Education, CSFA founded and raised more than $100 million for the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund®, which was created to provide educational assistance for postsecondary study to the dependents of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack victims. For more information on the organization, contact Mark Malmberg at (952) 830-7317 or [email protected], or visit www.csfa.org.

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