NEW YORK
Former President Clinton has been in talks with the directors of a huge college scholarship fund for Sept. 11 victims to address complaints by some families that the program has given out too little money.
The Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund raised more $128 million in donations and pledges in the years following the terrorist attacks, with the help of several big corporate donors and public appeals by Clinton and former Sen. Bob Dole.
The money was set aside to help the children and spouses of Sept. 11 victims pay for college. Through June, the fund had given $27.3 million to nearly 1,000 students, and signed up thousands more children to receive aid once they reach college age.
But over the past few years, some families have complained that the grants being handed out by the fund’s caretaker, the Minnesota-based Scholarship for America, are too stingy.
Some students said they expected large scholarships that would cover much or all of their tuition, only to receive a few thousand dollars.
Others complained about bureaucratic hurdles, or aid amounts that changed without explanation from year to year. Others said they saw their aid slashed after they began earning interest on payments from the Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund. The program awards scholarships based on need, and families with higher incomes qualify for less aid.
